(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
#qatar 2022 QNA
Doha: Lecturer at the College of Liberal Arts on Contemporary Middle East Politics and Arab Media Studies at Northwestern University in Qatar, Dr. Khaled Mohamed Al Hroub (pictured) has said that the motives this Western attack on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, to the Western sense of superiority and centrality as well as the orientalist legacy that provides a distorted picture of the region.
He was speaking in a panel discussion on 'The Unfair View of Some Western Media Towards Qatar's Organising FIFA World Cup 2022' organised by QPC and QNA.
He said that the World Cup in Qatar revealed the depth of that Western centralism and racism, while nourishing it with the classic and new orientalist thought that stands behind many distorted Western stereotypes about the Arab region. He added that the Western media reinforced those negative stereotypes about the East, and revealed the extent of the depth of Western racism against the other.
This Western centralism triggered a feeling that hosting major events, such as the World Cup, is confined to the West, in complete disregard for the nature of this sporting event that is called the World Cup.
This sporting event is called the World Cup, not the Cup of the West, and any country has the right to organize it in a way that reflects its culture, traditions and identity, as happened in previous editions in Korea and Japan, Russia, Brazil and other countries that hosted the World Cup, Al Hroub said, defending the universality of the world's mega event.
The West is part of this world, they make only about eight percent of the world's population, and they are not the whole world. They have no right to impose their culture and vision on other peoples of the world, he said.
Al Hroub reaffirmed that classical and new orientalism fed the Western racism, which stands behind the attacks on the World Cup in Qatar. He believed that the old Orientalism continues and renews and stands behind Western perceptions that Western media constantly convey about the East, calling for Western countries to cleanse of this orientalist legacy that does not accept the other's identity and culture.
In this regard, he highlighted many Hollywood films as part of the Western view of the East and the Arab region in particular that depicted Arabs as backward, adventurous, terrorist and other negative images. These films have perpetuated in the Western and non-Western mentalities an extremely stereotypical and negative image of the Arabs and Muslims.
These perceptions and stereotypes about other peoples creates a suitable environment for Western politicians to take unjust decisions and measures against these peoples, as they are barbaric and savage, he said.
Part of these perceptions that have taken root over many years, is the Western support for Israel. Israel occupies Palestine, but Westerners think that it lives in a savage region and deserves all Western support, he said.
While stressing the perils of these Western perceptions in fueling cultural conflicts, Al Hroub highlighted moderates and defenders of cultural diversity in the West, including those who asserted Qatar's eligibility to host the World Cup.
He stressed the importance of promoting cultural diversity worldwide, which is based on mutual respect, and rejecting all attempts at cultural hegemony over the world and imposing certain values on the different peoples of the world. He also pointed out that the World Cup in Qatar reaffirmed and highlighted the issue of cultural diversity.
In this context, Al Hroub said that Qatar sought to send messages of diversity to the world at the World Cup opening ceremony, highlighting the included Quranic verse, diversified personalities that appeared during the ceremony, and the authentic Arab values shown in the stands.