Doha — Qatar’s media went on the offensive against European criticism of the Gulf state’s human rights record on Monday, only days before the World Cup, for which it has spent billions of dollars.
In recent days, editorials and cartoons have condemned “smear campaigns” regarding Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, women, and LGBTQ individuals.
European publications and rights groups have highlighted Qatar’s record in the lead-up to the 20 November competition, which is projected to attract more than one million people.
Some French communities have stated that they will not permit the installation of public screens to broadcast matches as a form of protest against human rights violations.
The Al Sharq newspaper prominently displayed a cartoon depicting the World Cup surrounded by arrows to represent the criticism Qatar has received.
Since the announcement of the World Cup in Qatar in December 2010, European newspapers, according to an editorial in Al Raya, have been launching vicious attacks.
“Do not repeat the errors of the past,” it admonished, citing a 2015 Washington Post article on the number of migrant workers murdered on World Cup projects that was updated in response to a protest by the Qatari government.
“Let’s end smear efforts and work together for a World Cup that unites peoples,” the statement continued.
Al Sharq published an interview with Lakhdar Belloumi, a former Algerian international and one of the greatest Arab footballers of all time, who claimed that “malicious campaigns will not deter Qatar.”
Sunday’s editorial criticized the “lies, rumors, and defamation” printed about Qatar’s World Cup preparations in Europe.
It was stated that there was a “organized conspiracy” by media in several European nations over coverage of workers’ rights in Qatar, “while this media has forgotten the horrible working conditions in Europe.”
Al Sharq stated, “Every time a country from outside the old continent hosts the tournament, this lousy media generates a narrative.”
In a commentary for the English-language website Doha News, the artist Ghada Al Khater wrote, “Please pardon my skepticism regarding the intentions of European nations, which have stood idly by for the past decade as migrants fleeing war, devastation, and poverty… sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean.”
This year, Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani complained about attacks on Arab nations, but last month he assured the UN General Assembly that all supporters will be welcomed “without discrimination” at the World Cup.