This Is How Homosexuals’ Rights in Qatar Were Present at the Expense of People With Special Needs

Qatar performed, for the first time in the World Cup, accessible places for people with special needs and autism, in addition to specialized commentators for the blind. However, few are those who count this work as a great achievement for human rights. Qatar’s efforts to provide a special atmosphere for people with special needs were not mentioned while homosexuals’ rights were present. Such a mega-tournament sheds light again on the Western media hypocrisy and the targeted campaign launched against the first Arab and Islamic country to host the World Cup.

What mattered did not seem to have ever been homosexuals’ rights, it was rather something else the Western countries tried to spread in the world.

 

Big Fallacy

Because of banning all forms of support for homosexuality, Qatar, ever since being declared the host of World Cup 2022, has faced sharp criticism over neglecting gays’ rights, despite the exceptional measures it took for all fans, including those with special needs in particular.

What the Arab host country did was more than assigning accessible seats to help special people join a global and exceptional event like everyone else.

Qatar was taking responsibility from the moment one begin making their way to the stadium, to meet the needs of every person, regardless of his or her (dis/in)abilities, and to take off as many obstacles as possible to better equip access to physical, digital, and informational spaces.

Without talking about these great efforts, Western media did not waste much time attacking Qatar for outlawing any kind of support for homosexuality.

To highlight the reasons behind the West big fallacy, Ghada Tlili Brahmi, Aggregate Professor of Arabic Literature and Civilization, residing in Qatar, said to Al-Estiklal, that “Qatar is a country that has respected the rights of everyone since a long time ago not only during the World Cup; it is a state of law and order, so the World Cup will not be an exception.”

The professor continued, “Qatar is an Arab and Islamic country that has a ‘civilized specificity’ preventing homosexuality and it openly declared this; Western countries must respect our customs and traditions just as we respect theirs. Has anyone—for example—seen a British television broadcasting a Muslim slaughtering a sheep during Eid al-Adha? Of course not, because it is barbaric for British culture and traditions, so we, also, will not allow wearing the Rainbow badge.

“The countries criticizing Qatar do not respect human rights, and if they do, they would never support Israel, the real and biggest threat to humanity.”

Brahmi said there are 3 main reasons behind this ridiculous campaign: “Qatar did not include these countries in the World Cup preparations and relied mainly on Arabs. Countries, such as the US, are really jealous of what we achieved, and they have never imagined it would be the greatest tournament in football history. It seems difficult for them to accept that a small Arab country could host the soccer World Cup. Second, there was a pointless pressure for gas contracts, and the final reason, which is obvious for all nations, is the innate hatred against Muslims.”

The professor concluded by saying: “I challenge any of those countries to organize a World Cup with such standards in the future.”

 

Exceptional Hosting

Two weeks before the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy hosted a special event to shed light on the advantages of accessibility for fans with disabilities during the tournament. Participated in the event, which was hosted by the Education City Student Center at Qatar Foundation, under: “A Championship for All,” representatives of the disabled community, and members of the senior management team of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), to discuss what Qatar has prepared to host a tournament suitable for everyone’s needs.

Participants in the event reviewed the unique first edition of the World Cup in the Arab world and the advantages of easy access to football fans with disabilities, such as descriptive audio commentary on matches for the first time in Arabic in the history of the World Cup, and sensory assistance rooms for the first time in World Cup stadiums, in addition to many facilities for people with disabilities in the stadiums, such as parking lots, seats, toilets, and food and beverage accesses.

Qatar has proved to the world that it was fully ready to provide all possible means to receive fans with disabilities during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The Minister of Social Development and Family said a couple of months ago that the country will be perfectly ready to receive fans with disabilities during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The past years have witnessed intensified preparations to ensure that this tournament will be the most accessible for people with disabilities in the history of international tournaments.

All was true; fans from all over the world were impressed by the World Cup stadiums provided with sensory rooms for people with intellectual disabilities and a perfect atmosphere suitable for children with autism and neurobehavioral disorders to safely enjoy the match with the help of all advanced tools and devices.

The preparations extend to receiving fans coming from other countries; Hamad International Airport provides the Shafallah Center Lounge to serve fans with disabilities and autism.

Qatar stressed the importance of empowering those individuals and integrating them into society.

 

‘Arrogant and Racist’

Many famous figures and officials criticized the Western media over the campaign it is leading against Qatar and its double standards in dealing with the Arab country.

Being totally objective, British journalist Piers Morgan spoke during a radio program about Qatar hosting the World Cup and said that critics were “hypocritical and shameless.”

He called those critics to review their moral history first and then ask themselves whether they are really qualified to host the World Cup or not.

Regarding homosexuality, Morgan pointed out that 8 out of 32 countries that play the tournament criminalize homosexuality, so if critics use this factor against Qatar, the other seven countries should be punished too.

Then, he cited the countries that invaded Iraq and caused a state tragedy.

Last month, Qatar summoned the German ambassador over the alleged human rights violations in Qatar. Speaking to the media, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani accused Germany of “double standards.” He sarcastically wondered why the European countries forget about Qatar’s problems when it comes to energy partnerships and investments.

He said to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the German newspaper: “It is ironic when this tone is struck in countries in Europe that call themselves liberal democracies. It honestly sounds very arrogant and very racist.”