Qatar’s human rights record could spoil the World Cup

JUST a few days to go and Fifa’s showpiece, the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is embroiled in controversy.

Human rights activists are painting a gloomy picture of the oil-rich nation’s human rights record. According to Amnesty International, Qatar has been using forced labour in the construction of the infrastructure for the global event. The Guardian reported that as many as 6 500 migrant workers had died on the sites.

Although not as severe as Iran, women’s freedom of movement, the issue of marriage, child custody and inheritance are restricted to a certain extent in Qatar. But it’s the question of homosexuality that raised a storm in the West. Qatar’s World Cup Envoy Khalid Salman infuriated Europeans when he told German television homosexuality was “damage in the mind”.

Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who left the world football organisation in controversy after being charged for corruption but was later cleared, also weighed in on the Qatar World Cup controversy. He said Qatar was a small country and should never have been awarded the hosting of the showpiece event. Ironically, he is finding fault with his own judgment.

One overriding factor remains: Football fans travelling to Qatar must respect the country’s laws and customs. No matter how offended the LGBQT+ community feels, it cannot ride roughshod over the sensitivities of another nation that values its traditional way of life. It cannot impose its decadent lifestyle on another country. Doesn’t it know, when in Rome, do as Rome does?

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof