Why the hate for Qatar when people flock to Dubai?

[piddocktrumperiness]

I 'm not quite getting why people are quick to criticise Qatar and its human rights record and treatment of LGBTQ+, when every country in the gulf does the same. This government is in bed with the Saudis, sold lots of landmarks to the Qatari Royal family and many brits are quick to emigrate to Dubai. We even accept sponsorships from these countries.

For the record I'm not condoning any of these Gulf regions- I believe they are all equally bad and treat not only LGBTQ+ badly, but every nationality that is not white American/European/Australian.

I just don't think you can pick and choose- you either state that you condemn all of these regions, or you kind of keep quiet. If the World Cup was held in the Emirates, with most of the games in Dubai, I don't quite imagine the same criticism take place?

So why is the news singling out Qatar?

I wouldn’t set foot in either place - not even for ready money

I am not all that familiar with it, but there was a 2 year investigation into possible corruption from Russia and Qatar related to their bids. I think it is called the Garcia Report. From my understanding they did not find any corruption specific to the bidding process for Qatar but they did find that Mohammed bin Hamman (Qatari) who had been on the FIFA executive for 15 years tried to bribe his way into the FIFA presidency position in 2011. He was banned from all FIFA related events and activities after that. There was a news article in 2014 that reported that bin Hamman had also paid a number of small African countries money for various things in the run up to the 2010 bid but I am not sure if the claims in that article were investigated in the Garcia Report or not.

But why are people proudly saying, 'I would never go to Dubai or the ME?' Why are you so proud of that? What a closed-minded bigotry thing to say. So, you just stick to your own kind and heaven forbid venture out to meet foreign people in other places.

So you can be gay but " not too gay?
How does that even work then?!
Doesn't seem like much of a life to have to hide who you are or always have to keep yourself in check.

A lot of the people going on about hating the World Cup because it's in Qatar are the same people who go on about hating the World Cup every time it is on. The fact that is in Qatar just gives them a sense of moral outrage this time, and not just the normal hatred of football/class snobbery that is normally the case.

I love going to new places, meeting lots of people and experiencing different cultures.
Don't particularly want to go to places women and LGBT people are discriminated against (even though I'm not LGBT)

I would never go to Dubai either. Bigoted, built on slave labour and dreadful from an environmental point of view.

Couldn't care less how glossy it is and how great the weather is.

I don't think the people who object to Qatar are the same people who go to Dubai, OP.

@ExpatinQatar There is a lot of leeway for non Arab, non Muslims here - especially in the tourist, downtown, hotel zones. As long as you show basic respect, no one bothers you regardless of what they might think in their own mind. I have never been hassled or bothered. It is a very safe place to live.
See, that's what bothers me, a reason I won't go.
It's not safe, is it?
You even say so yourself
If you're non Arab, non Muslim etc, it's fine, nothing to see here, it's safe....🙄
So, what, it'd be fine for me as a white British woman, I'm "safe"? - seems a bit "I'm alright Jack" attitude

Nothing bigoted about not wanting to go somewhere it's illegal to be gay, especially if you're gay.

Second what MrsMamaD said.

Its a lot more liberal than places like Pakistan and India!

I take it you don't want to be exposed to something and then find out you are wrong?

If you have no direct knowledge or experience what is your opinion worth?

Is there a World Cup thread on mumsnet? To talk about the football, not about Qatar.

Its a lot more liberal than places like Pakistan and India!
Oh, well that's Ok then! 😕

An LGBTQ person won't get harassed in the same way a heterosexual person won't get harassed. How does the goings on in the bedroom affect a person's holiday choice? People in the Middle East often have same-sex individuals holding hands, I've seen it more there than in England. It's a conservative country, I wouldn't shove my tongue down my husband's throat. Is it so hard to not be 'sexual' when out in public?!

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. An LGBT person not wanting to go somewhere where who they are is illegal is not being a bigot.

An LGBT person not wanting to go somewhere where who they are is illegal is not being a bigot
Exactly, it's just common bloody sense and self preservation.
(I say this as someone who's straight)

Are you seriously suggesting that disliking football disqualifies people from objecting to slave labour and persecution of minorities, or means that that view is somehow devalued?

That view is devalued when they moan about every World Cup, no matter where it is held.

I don't think that objecting to both Russia and Qatar makes you a knee-jerk football hater. If you also objected to Brazil (without being Brazilian) and South Africa then I grant you it starts to look as if your political principles are secondary to a dislike of football and/or capitalism.

The thing is, Qatar was awarded the World Cup by FIFA who should have known better.

I don’t blame Qatar as such. We can’t impose our western values in other cultures. They had the World Cup given to them.
Should they have to change their culture? People seem to forget that not everywhere is as liberal as the western world.

Exactly this. I don’t understand how women’s lack of rights there are being ignore but if you fall under the rainbow umbrella the England manager will wear an armband supporting you.

Can’t believe some of the calls for Harry Kane to make a statement. I doubt Kane knows anything about Qatar or cared.
Whats the point in England taking the knee and wearing rainbow armbands? A token gesture? A statement?

If England really cared they would have boycotted the World Cup. They didn’t . So please don’t let a footballer preach to us about how wrong Qatar is with how they treat people.

I used to live in Dubai, when the western expat population was very small and pretty much everyone knew of each other if not actually personally. Everything was much stricter. Things have changed and unmarried couples can live together etc not because people have boycotted the place but because people have gone there and slowly but surely brought a different attitude and change to the region, respectfully showing that other parts of the world do things differently and why a more liberal allowance is actually good for growth. If a country is allowed to live in isolation, and isn't exposed to more liberal views, then things will never change. So those choosing to boycott are actually encouraging insular views and perpetuating the issues. The more you bash a country and tell them they are wrong, the more they will dig their heels in and refuse to think about change.

No one and nowhere changes without outside influence. For example, women in Saudi can now drive and don't have to cover their hair. It's not enough, but it's a start. That was the youth being exposed to outside influence and pushing for change. Change takes time. Look at our own history, we changed, they can. The very fact that Qatar bid for the World Cup is a small step forward. Encourage, don't chastise, it's blinkered and counter productive.

its so hypocritical of countries like England which was responsible for the death and starvation of millions in India, France which still indirectly occupies many western African countries and committed some of the most atrocious crimes in Africa to suddenly preach about human rights, it’s so shameful, people still remember how France’s involvement led to almost one million death in Rwanda. Every single civil war that broke in Africa was backed and supported by Europeans .
just last month a far right memeber of the French parliament told his fellow black MP to go back to Africa.

our history is so tainted yet we never apologised for Any of it,We go on preaching and condoning others, it’s madness !

and people don’t just holiday in Dubai , there are over 120000 Brits alone living and working there ,
I highly doubt they are all morally corrupt,

and they had the Grand Prix yesterday , entirely built by cheap labourers just like Qatar , not one single article was written about it,