By Md Sohel Mondal
Anchor Jambora of MNN (Monkey News Nation) in the animated cartoon movie The Donkey King campaign for “say bad, hear bad and look bad.” Some media outlets are proving just that in the wake of the FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest fan festival of the year. Only one reason – Qatar, a small Islamic country in the Middle East, is hosting this grand celebration, again in an unprecedented and exaggerated way.
Qatar has scribed a history by becoming first Arab host country for the FIFA World Cup. Needless to say, it was not easy. Qatar has been in relentless efforts since 2010 for developing infrastructure and other necessities along with countering enormous criticism. There was also the risk that perhaps pressure from Western countries would force the Qatar not making the final. But the Gulf nation has built another country within the country by spending over 220 billion, the largest budget in history for any celebration. The FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar started recently on November 20 and will continue until the grand finale on December 18.
The World Cup has now transcended mere sporting lines and assumed a political, cultural and religious dimension. And this atmosphere is created by some Hypocritical racists and fueled by some media of same hue.
Qatar is not ready to compromise with its ethics and identity only for just 28 days. The country’s cultural colour is of Islam. Only the word ‘culture’ limits its vast definition. Rather, Islam surmounts personal, educational, practical, administrative, spiritual, family, social, religious and a complete life structure. It is a moral duty to express one’s culture on such a big international stage.
Moreover, it is widely agreed that sport is a time of cultural exchange, exhibition, love and learning from each other. It has been going on for years. Due to the influence of cultural exchange, the eastern countries today are immersed in football, cricket etc. But, the West claims: we are not ready to accept the manifestations of other cultures either. This has further exacerbated anti-Qatar sentiment with banning alcohol consumption, revealing clothing, LGBTQ activities, etc. in stadiums.
No wonder, they are the ones who teach liberalism: liberalism is expressing oneself as one wishes and accepting everyone as they are. What an irony! Western hypocrisy exposed! This hypocrisy of theirs is seen throughout every issue. It also includes big name-holding campaigns like Sustainability, Human Rights, Gender Equality, etc.
Another aspect applicable to disclosure is the accidental deaths of expatriate labourers in the construction of Qatar. Of course, every man, be it a minister or a worker, is a recipient of his humanistic rights. But in this case, the West has shown the strains of colonial power not only in individual cases but also in the entire country. Where Islamic principle: Do not impose extra work on the workers as per energy capacity. And give the laborer his wages before you dry the sweat. However, if the rights were violated then it is reprehensible.
Indeed, the Europeans’ theory claims that they should accept Qatar. Moreover, its recognition has also been observed. In the words of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, “I think for what we Europeans have been doing for 3,000 years around the world, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people.”
Moreover, the Qatar authority has done enough to expose this reality. Notably, when American film director Morgan Freeman participated in the grand opening ceremony with Qatar’s World Cup ambassador, Ghanim Al Muftah, who suffers from caudal regression syndrome, shared a message about the only solution of mutual understanding in this divided world.