Unmasking imposters

As the whole world is eagerly looking forward to the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, two Danish entities have been busy finding fault with the labour rights of the host country, which has spared no effort to present the best ever edition of the global football tournament in its entire history.While the world understands and appreciates the power of sport, particularly football, to unite and bring people together, and how it’s important not only for Qatar but for the whole region, Denmark’s football association (DBU) and the Danish sportswear manufacturer Hummel have embarked on a cynical trajectory that is obviously divisive and fueled by misconceived notions about Qatar.Right after Denmark qualifying for World Cup last year, DBU had said it would introduce a series of measures to highlight ‘human rights abuses’ in Qatar.As part of the ill-conceived campaign against Qatar, Hummel last week said it is toning down Denmark’s national team World cup kit in protest of ‘human rights abuses’ in Qatar ahead of the upcoming tournament, triggering outrage online for the perceived “hypocrisy”, which can be seen at a closer look.In fact the spurt in Danish Football Association’s indignation against the alleged violation of workers’ rights does not stem from a desire to fight for human rights but from many other things, including a grudge harboured against Qatar after a Denmark oil company lost out the contract to operate in the Gulf state, after its presence for 25 years.According to a report, income from the company contributed about 12% of Denmark’s GDP.I have witnessed personally Danish officials coming to Qatar and offering their services to support the World Cup in Qatar to serve their interests. No one from the Danish side had raised any concern about human rights during those meetings.At this juncture, it will be also pertinent to scan the credentials of the new self-appointed champions of human rights. If these entities are sincere about reforms, they have enough to begin with at home. Beginning with a tyrannical colonial past (at its apex, the Dano-Norwegian colonies spanned four continents-Africa, Asia, Europe and North America), Denmark has its robes permanently stained by the inhumane and brutal slave trade of which the Danes had the distinction of being the ‘seventh largest slave trade nation’.Skipping the past and coming to the present, the current government of Denmark, headed by Mette Frederiksen, voted in favour of a law allowing authorities to confiscate money, jewellery and other valuable items from refugees crossing the Danish border. The bill received harsh condemnation from the UN Human Rights Council. The ruling Social Democrats have also voted for a law banning the wearing of burqas and niqabs. Frederiksen has also favoured extremely anti-immigration measures and referred to Islam as a ‘barrier to integration’ and called for the Muslim schools to be closed.Denmark has also its own crop of far-right groups that demand the deportation of Muslims and preservation of the country for its ethnic community.The controversial family policy that forcibly takes children away from their parents on the pretext that they are not qualified to take care of them has been criticized by the Danish people themselves. Does it not require amendments?I believe that Hummel and the Danish sports federations should focus on human rights violations against Muslims in their country, Muslims who are Danish citizens, rather than donning the role of a white saviour. I advise you to educate yourself about this psychological complex, which needs to be remedied.The white man’s burden to rule the rest of the mankind, is a supremacy mindset plagued by prejudices and illusions.“How come an Arab country host a FIFA World Cup?” That seems to be the question troubling a few racists in some parts of the world.A few French cities have also joined the coarse chorus of the Danish organisations ‘to protest human rights abuses’ in Qatar. These actions of about half a dozen French mayors are based on as baseless and prejudiced assumptions as that of the Danish bodies.Much is desired on the part of the French mayors, who can serve their own people by campaigning against the racist practices followed by their municipalities, including the ban on wearing hijabs in schools, unavailability of halal food and similar hindrances to practicing religious obligations, particularly for the French minority groups.Is it not also important to improve the quality of life of the slum-dwellers in their jurisdictions?I feel it is advisable for the mayors of the ‘protesting’ French cities to base their decisions on facts learnt from reliable sources than falling into the trap laid by elements that preach and practise hatred and racism.Coming back to the Hummel’s move to tone down the Danish national team’s jersey, it is nothing but a marketing gimmick and hypocrisy at its best. The company used to sponsor Qatar-based football teams, and also sold its products at its store in a prominent mall in the Gulf state.Hummel’s pretension as a champion of human rights can well be exposed by their country’s ban on a human’s right to wear an hijab. To add to the irony, this is the company that allows sweatshops in South East Asia run overtime to produce jerseys at short notice to protest labour conditions in Qatar’s construction sector.Since winning the bid to host the first FIFA World Cup event in the Middle East, Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism, most of which originated out of racism and Islamophobia. Many people in the West are yet to digest the fact that a small Arab, Muslim country in the Middle East is going to host the best major sporting event in modern history.Countering the unfair criticism of the Gulf state by the west over its hosting of the 2022 World Cup, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in May, “For decades now, the Middle East has suffered, from discrimination. And I have found that such discrimination is largely based on people not knowing us, and in some cases, refusing to get to know us.”Doha has always maintained that it wants to host the football World Cup not only for Qatar but for all the people in the region so that the world may change the perceptions about stereotypical Arabs.Ignorance apart, Hummel’s dumb charade is marked by a streak of patently false and baseless allegations that ‘this tournament has cost thousands of people their lives’. Nothing is far from truth.A Transparency International report said there are around 300,000 labourers working in Qatar. In the case of any unnatural death, the workers are well-represented by their embassies and community organisations, which take proper care of such cases.In fact, the Qatar World Cup paved the way for landmark labour reforms, which included the abolition of the sponsorship system, introduction of the Wage Protection System (WPS) and a minimum wage legislation. These and other reforms have been recognised by numerous entities within the international human rights community as a model that has accelerated progress and improved lives.As the more than 2.5mn expatriate population of Qatar would attest, this country has been a second home to people from more than 160 nations. According to official data, expatriates had remitted 43bn riyals ($12bn) to their home countries in 2019, supporting the livelihood of millions of people worldwide.Qatar’s expatriate worker reforms are acknowledged by the ILO and ITUC as a benchmark in the region. Qatari authorities have been sincere to state, “Like every country, progress on these issues is a journey without a finish line, and Qatar is committed to that journey.”The reforms have been inspired by our Islamic religion and Arab traditions.These and other reforms have been recognised by numerous entities within the international human rights community as a model that has accelerated progress and improved lives.As recent as last week, members of a visiting European Parliament delegation have commended Qatar for its extensive labour reforms, transparency and promotion of workers’ rights. The group consisted of senators and parliamentarians from seven European countries.The parliamentarians visited the Ministry of Labour, toured a World Cup stadium, a labour camp, held meetings with the National Human Rights Committee, and met with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC).Later, representatives of the delegation said Qatar has not only passed laws but has also implemented them. They also lauded advances in safety practices, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 preparation, and commitment to continuous implementation of reforms after the tournament.I call upon the Danish masses and the good people of Denmark whose capital I have visited more than five times, as well as the citizens of the friendly French Republic, not to believe in propaganda and to allot themselves time to understand the term Arab-Islamic hospitality and utilise this opportunity to know the real Middle East and have fun by attending the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the real sportsmanship spirit.