By Abdullah Alkabir, a Libyan political writer and commentator
Europe recalls medieval grudges
Organizing the World Cup in an Arab Muslim country sparked the spite of the European Middle Ages against the Arab-Islamic region, so media campaigns were launched disparaging Qatar, questioning its organizing capabilities, and disseminating unreal numbers of deaths among workers building World Cup facilities. Indeed, writers and journalists wiped the dust off their desk drawers and pulled human rights reports so that they can search for the Qatari record.
This concern for human rights did not show up four years ago, when Russia was the organizing country, and the Russians had just completed their invasion of Crimea, and the Russian intelligence men washed their hands of the effects of the poison that killed Russian opponents in some Western countries., while their fighters resumed bombing people and stones in Syria.
All these crimes did not wake up the major newspapers and television channels in Britain, Germany and France, to aim their criticism at the Russian government, or FIFA for accepting to organize the tournament there, nor did they launch a media campaign exposing tyranny, aggression and killing of opponents, while doing so now systematically and intentionally, with lies, forgery and exaggeration against Qatar.
Westerners have belittled an Arab Muslim country and how to succeed in organizing a major world championship, which people from all over the world flocked to, and hundreds of millions of people watch it via screens, prompting those millions to rethink the stereotype projected by Western media about Arab and Muslim barbarism, degradation and their continuing failure!
The great occasion, and the huge success in the opening ceremony, prompted some commentators to accuse Qatar of paying bribes in exchange for winning the organization of this global event ten years ago, without conclusive evidence, even clues or suspicions, and they know that all the procedures for winning the organization, from declaring of intention, submitting files, studies and visits, the evaluation, until the end of drawing the lots, is conducted through FIFA, which is based in a European country, applying the highest standards of transparency, and that the United States of America, with its power and influence, was the most prominent competitor that wished to organize the tournament.
The double standards reveals its face here in a blatant way, as the loud voices today denouncing a possible bribery, remained silent on an announced bribery from the tyrants of the land to Western governments, in arms deals, in return for granting them the legitimacy to kill their people, confiscating freedoms, oppression, prisons and killing, and when the economic crises reared its head, these governments rushed to Blackmail them with a clear message, either you conclude a weapons purchase deal or we will open prison files and all violations.
Human rights are not negotiable, according to a statement issued by the German Confederation, commenting on the official image of the German national team before its match with Japan, as the players put their hands on their mouths, as a sign of their protest against being prevented from carrying the gay badge, while the German Minister of Interior circumvented the stadium stands, and took off Her coat to show the gay badge on her arm, next to the FIFA president, in clear violation of the law of the country that hosts her, and yet she is a minister who leads a ministry which prime responsibility is to ensure that laws are enforced!
There is a strange imbalance in the concept of human rights among Westerners. Their governments’ support tyrants who massacre their people, the racism of the Zionists, their violence against the oppressed in Palestine, the Chinese government’s abuse of the Uighurs, and the violence of the Hindus against Muslims in India, as all these acts have nothing to do with human rights. As for promoting decadence and sexual abuse, and encouraging obscene practices against the laws of nature, and common human instinct rejects them, as if it is an inherent human right, which requires that the German national team appear in this absurd manner, and that the Minister of Interior deliberately violates the law just like any thief or vagabond.
The memory should not forget the position of Arsenal Club, and its refusal to mix politics with sports, commenting on the solidarity of the German player Ozil with the Uighurs, against the oppression and abuse they are subjected to at the hands of the Chinese government, and the Germans’ anger at him because of his image with Turkish President Erdogan, so solidarity with the oppressed is a wonderful humanitarian position that deserves praise in Western culture, provided that the persecuted, is a non-Muslim, and pictures with presidents are okay if they are with the head of a non-Muslim country. I do not imagine at all that public opinion on sports in Germany will take a similar position, if a picture of a German player of European or African origin is published with the president of his country of origin. Yes, what is going on now, are remnants of historical hatred, the complex of centralism and European arrogance, so they were shocked by Qatar’s refusal to promote homosexuality, and obligated them to respect the beliefs and laws of the host country.
Westerners confiscate the right to difference and diversity, and do not see civilized, cultural and moral values that contradict their values. Europe is the garden and the rest of the world is a jungle, according to the view of Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security policy, and that the barbarians in the jungle must not deviate from the values and morals of the people of the garden.
This confiscation extends to history, as Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest philosophers of the West, records in a book in which he chronicles Western philosophy, the sudden and inexplicable emergence of Greek civilization. “In all history, nothing is so surprising or so difficult to account for as the sudden rise of civilization in Greece”. With this judgement, Russell deletes any influences of the ancient eastern civilizations, Pharaonic, Sumerian and Phoenician, that preceded the rise of Greece, and other philosophers before him rejected any contributions of Muslim philosophers in the march of Civilization, and they did not recognize them except for preserving Greek philosophy, without any addition or development, and then it is not surprising that these hostile European stances were issued against a small country, which has engaged in the competition with them, and achieved great success in organizing a world championship the size of the World Cup, just because it is an Arab and Muslim country .
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Libya Observer