(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/21/22) – The US Council of Muslim Organizations, on behalf of our member institutions and American Muslims, loudly cheers the State of Qatar on becoming the first Muslim and Middle Eastern nation not only to host the global phenomenon that is the FIFA World Cup tournament but to have far exceeded in presentation, accommodation, and unequaled preparation all previous countries that have greeted this greatest single-sport event on earth.
“This is a stereotype-shattering event that the Emir, nation, and people of Qatar have together achieved for over a decade, and it is especially a tremendous source of pride and hope for Muslims and Arabs throughout the region and across the world,” said Oussama Jammal, USCMO secretary general.
“It is image-breaking because it indisputably demonstrates one all-important ethic – Islam’s unparalleled command to human hospitality, that it is alive and undaunted in the hearts of Muslim and the Arab peoples – despite all their tribulations – to this day,” he said.
“Qatar has displayed the innovative brilliance of these same peoples, especially in their awesome architectural and planning achievements of museums, stadiums, and thoughtful guest experience and accommodation, and its aftermath.
“And it is an unmistakably muscular exhibition of the near limitless capacities of Qatar, and the Muslim and Arab peoples when our hearts and minds come together. What a hopeful harbinger for a much-needed cooperative miracle for our divided world!”
Indeed, the Qatar World Cup has pulled together one of the largest financial campaigns in human history, Qatar having spent a staggering $220 billion since its host selection by FIFA in 2010 for the world’s largest sporting event – and this in the face of an avalanche of bigoted complaint against the small Muslim-Arab nation from many in the Eurocentric sphere.
At preparation’s height, Qatar reported spending $500 million a week on infrastructure upgrades to its airport, roads, hotels, stadiums, and museums. This includes up to $10 billion invested in its seven new soccer stadiums.
And before lamenting the waste, note that Qatar will deconstruct many of these same facilities and generously donate them to other countries of need.
In addition, it has built out this all-new infrastructure with a plan to convert much of it after the event into schools, medical clinics, shops, and communal facilities to benefit all the inhabitants of and visitors to Qatar and the region.
Moreover, Qatar’s Muslim and Arab engineers erected a substantial portion of its new infrastructure out of recycled materials, including constructing an entire stadium from decommissioned shipping containers that would be rusting in scrap heaps.
All told, this is more than 10 times Russia’s spending for the 2018 tournament, while FIFA itself will make a record-setting $4.7 billion from the 29-day mega-playoff, $209 million of which will go directly to soccer teams for player development. That’s three-times as much as the 2014 Brazil World Cup channeled toward grooming a nation’s own players.
Despite the wave of thinly veiled racist criticisms of Qatar hosting the World Cup – for its size, its Middle Eastern location, and inclusive of shameful intimations of the nation and the region’s Arab and Muslim makeup – Qatar is no stranger to outsized, major contributions to the human commonweal.
The little nation has been a stalwart and undaunted financial and diplomatic supporter of the beleaguered people of Gaza and Palestine.
Qatar brokered the peace deal that extricated the U.S. from its devastating multi-trillion-dollar “forever war” catastrophe in Afghanistan, giving a rare war respite to the Afghani people.
It has successfully intervened in the same way to end deadly rivalries for the benefit of the peoples of Chad, Somalia, Sudan, and Lebanon. It has been a constant wellspring of diplomatic initiatives for peace in the behalf of the people of Yemen and Syria.
Qatar, despite its relatively small size, is now widely known as the sincerest voice and top broker of peace in the troubled Middle East – and it substantially puts its vast resources where its mouth is in this regard – showing itself courageous enough to risk a steep national price for the possibility of gaining that peace among Arabs and Muslims.
Qatar! Commendations and much thanks to you from we Muslims of America. You have lifted a dark shroud unfairly cast upon Muslims and Arabs in your estimable hosting of World Cup 2022. God grant you light and blessed bounty.
