The 2022 FIFA World Cup is about to open in November in the Islamic principality of Qatar in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. There have been continuing attacks on the government of Qatar from the beginning of the announcement that the tiny nation had been awarded the opportunity to be the first Arab nation to host the 2022 World Cup. The complaints against Qatar have focused on human rights abuses of the migrant workers who have built and maintained the infrastructure in Doha, and the lack of rights for the LBGT community.
While football is a globally watched game, and the 2022 World Cup is a month-long tournament played by global players, not every nation has identical values, customs, or laws. Western nations may speak about diversity and inclusivity, but they are demanding that their values are 'one-size-fits-all'. The Middle East is an older civilization than the west, is conservative, and Islam is at the center of the values and traditions. The 2022 World Cup is going to be either a clash of civilizations or a learning experience for western and other participants.
Qatar recently summoned German ambassador Claudius Fischbach over remarks made by the Minister of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany, Nancy Faeser.
Speaking to German broadcaster ARD, Faeser had questioned whether Qatar should have been granted the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
"There are criteria that must be adhered to and it would be better than tournaments are not awarded to such states," Faeser was quoted as saying.
H. E. Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), denounced the statements made by Faeser. Al Hajraf praised the pioneering role of Qatar in hosting the 2022 World Cup, and in communication and understanding among nations.
"The memo also stressed that the State of Qatar is determined to organize one of the best editions to showcase the region's civilization and heritage to the whole world," the Qatari government said concerning the complaint handed to the German ambassador.
Faeser is due to visit Doha next week, which could make for a strained welcome for the diplomat, after making her highly undiplomatic comments.
Qatar has faced criticism from the West concerning its treatment of migrant workers who are often from Africa and Asia. The Guardian reported in 2021 that 6,500 migrant laborers had died in Qatar since the awarding of the 2022 World Cup rights by FIFA. The report did not prove a direct link between the deaths and the building of the World Cup structures, and Qatar has made improvements in conditions for workers.
On October 29, more than a dozen buildings were evacuated and shut down by officials in the downtown Doha section where football fans will stay. The mainly African and Asian residents were forced to sleep outside on the pavement because they only had two hours' notice of the eviction from one such building housing 1200 people in the Al Mansoura district. Some men were out working at the time and came home to find locked doors and no way to retrieve their belongings inside.
FIFA did not respond to requests for comment about the evictions.
Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, Spain, said her city does not support holding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and will not be offering any public viewing to watch the Spanish team play.
Media coverage of the World Cup
Qatar's supreme committee has denied imposing restrictions on media freedoms during the tournament but had issued directives that "residential properties, private businesses, and industrial zones" or government, educational, health, and religious buildings were off-limit to filming.
Qatar has a history of jailing journalists for reporting on issues deemed sensitive by the authorities. A group of BBC reporters was arrested in 2015 in Doha and spent two nights in prison while investigating housing conditions for migrant workers. Two Norwegian journalists investigating conditions for migrant laborers working on World Cup venues were arrested last November and detained for 36 hours as they tried to leave the country.
Some of the restrictions imposed by Qatari officials are focused on preventing western media from filming inside migrant residences, and even hospitals. Qatar is image conscious and wants to avoid any disappointing views being shown abroad. There is a law against misinformation being spread online.
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