Why Is #BoycottQatar2022 Trending On Twitter? Qatar is heavily being criticized amid the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 for various reasons including the ban on LGBTQ support flags, the welcome of Zakir Naik, the deaths of immigrant workers, and the robbing of an Argentine press reporter. Hashtag Boycott Qatar 2022 was in trend on Twitter for several hours today while many foreign fans commented feeling unsafe in the country.
According to #BoycottQatar2022 on Twitter, everything is going wrong in the Qatar World Cup and the latest is the arrival of Zakir Naik to give religious lectures on the sidelines of the tournament. The intention is probably conversion to Islam.
Fugitive Zakir Naik Present in Qatar
FIFA World Cup kicked off on Sunday, November 20 and Al Arabiya News reported preacher and India’s wanted-list fugitive Zakir Naik was present in the inaugural ceremony and would remain in Qatar throughout the tournament to deliver Islamic lectures to non-Muslim foreign fans.
However, his arrival for the multi-nation football tournament has confused many as he had earlier openly said football is forbidden in Islam.
A tweet by Tarek Fatah states Qatar has declared one of its primary goals in organizing the FIFA World Cup and it is the conversion of foreign tourists to Islam. He supports his comment with the media report of 558 have been converted since the start of the tournament. Fatah adds that jihadi mullah Zakir Naik has been invited by Qatar to preach Islam among non-Muslim football fans.
Zakir Naik Banned in India, Malaysia
The preacher is a wanted fugitive in India. He is the founder of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) that promotes forcible conversion to Islam, spreads objectionable comments against other religions including Hinduism, and justifies suicide bombings.
India’s Home Ministry has declared IRF an unlawful association and the organization has been banned in the country for five years stating the speeches of Naik were objectionable. The 57-year-old left India in 2016 following the statement of one of the Dhaka Cafe Blast who reveals to have been inspired by his hate speeches. Naik resides permanently in Malaysia and the country has banned him from delivering speeches.
Deaths of South Asian Migrant Workers
Qatar won the World Cup hosting bid in 2010 and it was a triumphant moment for the Gulf state to become the first country to host the multi-nation football tournament in the Middle East. With this, the construction of ambitious state-of-the-art stadiums was planned along with new metro and luxury hotels.
But the next decade was brutal and hundreds of thousands of South Asian workers were put to work in searing heat to pave the path of Qatar’s World Cup vision. An investigation report reveals more than 6,000 migrant workers died between 2011 and 2020 while working on the World Cup infrastructure plan.
LGBTQIA+ Welcomed with Concerns
Same-sex relationships are not legal in Qatar, but FIFA as well as the Qatar Supreme Committee earlier insisted everyone is welcome during the tournament without displaying affection in the public. Addressing to the press earlier this year the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that LGBT visitors should respect the nation’s culture.
Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2022: All Teams List, Captain, And Coach
Just hours ahead of the England vs. Wales game, FIFA announced a ban on wearing OneLove armband. It threatened the players would be booked for putting on the band. The OneLove band was created by the Netherlands to promote diversity and raise voices against discrimination.
It was learned several team captains including Harry Kane of England and Gareth Bale of Wales had planned to wear it to argue that the tournament has been awarded for hosting to such a country where homosexual people are stoned to death.
Alcohol Ban
Qatar announced a ban on alcohol at stadium sites just before the opening ceremony. It created immense confusion and concern among foreign tourists as the authorities earlier agreed to relax the rules. The sale and consumption of alcohol are restricted in Qatar.
ESPN reports designated sobering-up areas have been facilitated for the drunk fans as drinking as well as being drunk in public is not legal in the country. Alcohol drinking is not part of the local culture.
