I admit to you at the beginning that I did not have great ties with football, but the Qatar World Cup was a turning point for me, and I realized the importance of football not only as a sport, but because millions of people in the world are associated with it, which makes it have cultural and social dimensions that go beyond sports.
I think that what happened to me in terms of looking at football is a common perception with many intellectuals in the world, and I found in the book published by the "New Arab" Foundation under the title "The Magic of Football", writers from the East and West who talk about the passion for the most joyful game. What translates these transformations experienced by writers and writers in many regions of the world in their relationship to football, and while I commend this work that was prepared and edited by Professor Maan Al-Bayari, I value these cultural initiatives that enrich the Arab library with an interesting, useful and exceptional book, and I appreciate the Arab Center for Research and Study Politics His keenness to enhance awareness and approach the cultural phenomena experienced by the Arab world.
I found in the book honest experiences and stories of creators from all continents who knew football during a period of their lives, and it was like a moment of transformation in their outlook on life, and some of them practiced it, and it left in their hearts what nostalgia leaves behind for unforgettable memories, and some of them took the place of the viewer and could not overcome Involvement in follow-up, as this sport has become a kind of magic for writers who usually think that they are in their ivory towers and not in football stadiums or in front of screens enthusiastically following local and international tournaments.
I was attracted by what the Romanian writer Ion Diaconescu said in his description of football: "It is that distinctive tool that moves from soul to soul, as we need a rhythm of life, a new behavior, a new humanity. Football is certainly not a savior, but it makes the earth a better place.” This means that football is a means of rapprochement between people, given the cultural values it contains.
Romanian writer Ion Diaconescu says, describing football, "It is certainly not a savior, but it makes the earth a better place." (Getty Images)
Therefore, it is not surprising that the "Seminar Season" in its second session includes a topic related to the World Cup in Qatar. Rather, I commend this choice, which reflects an understanding of cultural phenomena that need to be studied and benefited. The topic of "the cultural heritage of the World Cup" is one of the important topics that fall within the issues The intellectual and cultural hour, as the World Cup was linked to cultural dimensions, which was referred to by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the country, may God protect him, by saying: “We will not prevent anyone from coming to our country and enjoying football, and we respect all the cultures of the world.” We expect everyone to respect our culture."
Sheikh Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari at the Cultural Heritage Symposium in Doha (Qatar Ministry of Culture)
Cultural Heritage Symposium in Doha (Qatar Ministry of Culture)
His Highness clearly defined the cultural position of the State of Qatar regarding this international presence, and explained its goal, in addition to its main mission, which is sport, which is for the World Cup to be an occasion to confirm interaction and mutual respect between cultures, and this saying was not just a verbal slogan, but it was embodied on the ground The reality is to be a successful practice that has proven that the State of Qatar will not abandon its cultural values and will intervene to prevent transgression of these values when some try to do so.
Qatar has presented its culture and values throughout the World Cup period, allowing visitors from different cultures to learn about our religion, culture and social values, and to affirm the principle of mutual respect between cultures.
Their neighborhood initiative to welcome the World Cup guests (Al-Jazeera)
The Katara Mosque attracts World Cup fans (Reuters)
The Qatar World Cup has turned into an event for world fans to interact with Arab culture (Reuters)
The art of the show is one of the arts that participated in the World Cup (Qatar News Agency)
Therefore, this event was not just a passing sporting occasion, but rather a historical turning point for Qatar, for the Arabs, and for all countries seeking to advance human civilization. I even consider this turning point as a point for Arab civilization to resume its cycle.
My goal in this intervention is to implement what I have long called for, which is the necessity of activating the gains of the success of the World Cup on the cultural level so that the joy of success does not prevent the continuation of work on the commitment of this tree that needs care in order for its branches to leaf and bear fruit always.
This means that we think about the post-World Cup so that we move away from that way of thinking that remains proud of the glories of the past without benefiting the present and does not think about its future.
And if it is our right and the right of the Arab generations to be proud, then this pride will not benefit us in anything if we do not use its positive results in bringing about civilized transformations.
Let's look at the outcome of this great cultural heritage that we reaped from the impact of what we sowed, and not throw it in the Museum of Memory.
The first thing that is evident from the impact of this success that dazzled the world is the Qataris’ proof of their ability to take on challenges and win them in the manner of what their ancestors did, until their response to what they objected to them became part of their national character. Stadiums, roads and means of transportation helped the World Cup to be held in the best conditions and on the terms of sustainability, which will remain a milestone for generations of Qataris in the coming decades.
Stadium 974, which opened on the occasion of the Arab World Cup in Qatar (Al-Jazeera)
Lusail is the largest stadium hosting the tournament, with an official capacity of more than 80,000 fans (communication sites)
The Doha Metro network ensures direct access to most of the 2022 World Cup stadiums (Shutterstock)
This success was not limited to developing motivation for work and perfection among the people of Qatari society, but the virtue of this great success is that it restored optimism and hope to the Arab world at a stage when the Arab generations needed inspiring models of civilized action, such as their need to believe in their capabilities and break out of the captivity of that inferior image. Drawn by her neo-colonial thought.
As psychological victory is a prerequisite for any civilized renaissance, and how many peoples slacken their civilized action because of their psychological defeat.
The World Cup stirred up the "collective memory" of peoples. Arabs and Muslims, in particular, restored the glories of the Arab-Islamic civilization when we were leading the way in civilization, influencing other societies, and pioneering the civilizational "model" of progress.
A flag written on it "Free Palestine" during a match for the Tunisian national team in the World Cup (Qatar 2022) (Anadolu Agency)
One of the main results of the World Cup is restoring the essential role that culture plays in presenting the ideal image of the State of Qatar, which brought “culture” back to the heart of international concerns, as an important determinant of the nature of international relations. And dealing with it culturally.
There were those who were drawn towards the "clash of civilizations" and while the matches were taking place on the grounds of the wondrous and magical stadiums, a major match was taking place on the grounds of global culture between advocates of clash and advocates of dialogue and acquaintance.
The World Cup contained cultural expressions and messages that gave the tournament an exceptional character, and emphasized the value of soft power, as the various cultural expressions affected millions of viewers in the world.
This reaffirms the effectiveness of cultural diplomacy, of which sports diplomacy is a part, as countries always need cultural means to promote their culture and enhance their presence in the world. The World Cup was a true test of the feasibility of this diplomacy, which today requires more work in order to preserve its gains and continue to diversify its tools.
The opening song of the Qatar World Cup 2022 (Getty Images)
For a whole month, Qatar embraced an audience from different countries of the world, and from diverse cultures, languages, beliefs, and races. The biggest challenge was to put our values and culture at stake in communicating with this human diversity. , in which some opponents of Arabs and Muslims considered that our code of values is incapable of accepting other cultures, and that the Arab man is incapable of contributing to human civilization, and among the results of the discrediting of these allegations is marketing the true image of the Arab man who is capable of action when the conditions of creativity are achieved for him.
Some Western discourses seemed closer to racism than to flashy slogans that claim respect for the cultural specificities of peoples, and there is no doubt that the test of these slogans in the World Cup was clear to the world.
Spain fans inside the stadium before the Morocco match against Spain, round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup (Reuters)
The diversity of the masses is the most prominent title of the World Cup celebrations in Qatar (Qatari press)
Qatar councils host audiences (networking sites)
The State of Qatar, through the World Cup, presented a lesson in the concept of cultural exchange, which is respect for cultural specificities and not acquiesce in imposing cultural expressions that contradict the hierarchy of Arab-Islamic values.
These values, which were an essential part of the cultural expressions of the World Cup, have determined since the opening ceremony of the World Cup the "compass" of all its activities.
The compass was not derived from references alien to Qatari society, but was based on the Quranic concept of "acquaintance" through the paragraph that brought together the young Qatari Ghanem Al-Muftah and the American actor Morgan Freeman.
The symbolism of the ceremony, with all its components, showed the Qataris’ pride in their belonging to the Arab-Islamic civilization and their pride in its tolerant values. For the first time in the history of the World Cup, the Holy Qur’an was recited on Arab and Muslim lands in a ceremony attended by billions of people, to realize the State of Qatar’s message to the world of the necessity of adhering to the origin of human society based on dialogue and respect. Acquaintance, not clash, hate and differentiation.
Morgan Freeman and Ghanem Al-Moftah during the opening of the World Cup (French)
Therefore, the cultural events of the World Cup reinforced the issue of identity, and confirmed that the Arab-Islamic culture is part of the national identity. One of the bets of the Qataris was to present their culture, customs and traditions with great pride, which gave the World Cup an exceptional character, and the establishment of prayer and the call to prayer were among the signs that brought appreciation, as was the hospitality of the Qataris. The fans everywhere are a true translation of the hospitality, and an opportunity to present a true picture of the nature of the social values by which the ancestors lived and passed on generation after generation, which reflected the cultural and social unity of the Qatari society in dealing with the various phenomena of the World Cup.
Praying in stadiums (Al Jazeera)
The World Cup did not prevent Qatar from presenting a new "cultural pattern" in intercultural dialogue and pride in national identity without being closed, just as the World Cup helped revitalize creative industries, including those related to craft industries. The Qatari is very popular and symbolic after the captain of the Argentine team wore it at the ceremony of receiving the championship cup.
The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, dresses Messi in the Arab Bisht (communication sites)
One of the World Cup’s gains is that it did not obscure the just causes that the masses everywhere believe in, because sport is not devoid of human values, and people do not cheer for their teams only, but rather express their human stance on some humanitarian issues, so the Palestinian cause was present in the masses’ conscience, in their cheers and in their expression. For its support by raising the Palestinian flag everywhere, indicating that the global conscience is still alive.
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Several days ago, I was on a tour in several cities in Europe, and as soon as anyone knew that I was Qatari, they showered me with admiration and praise. Success is a source of pride and pride, as it is at the same time a responsibility to preserve it and move from one success to another, and I am confident that our wise leadership has the vision and experience that makes it stand on this fact. Therefore, I look forward to having an integrated plan to deal with the post-World Cup stage and build on what We have achieved success and transformed the infrastructure that we built from hotels, stadiums, markets, cultural centers and roads into spaces for cultural, economic and sports movement that make our country an example to follow in continuous success, and not (a white villa) as happened in some countries that hosted successful international events but did not continue the march .We must stop at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, and its convening at this high level of heads of state and prime ministers, and the selection of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the country, as President of the conference, and we look at this conference that deals with the least developed countries as evidence of The world’s appreciation and confidence in the State of Qatar and its wise leadership, and this is a model for our country’s investment of its international standing and the great success it achieved in the World Cup and benefiting from organizational and human experience, including the provision of headquarters to accommodate thousands of conference attendees and the wisdom of leadership capable of respecting the world and bringing the conferences to their goals.
I believe that the State of Qatar, with its infrastructure, can be a venue for international conferences and major events in all fields.
Whoever chronicles cultural diplomacy, or soft diplomacy, as some like to call it, will take the World Cup in Qatar as the clearest example of this diplomacy. Successful Qatari diplomacy should benefit from this achievement and make cultural diplomacy a synonym for it, and benefit from our cultural institutions such as the Katara Cultural Village, museums and educational programs at the Foundation. Qatar and the cultural years are tools for this diplomacy.
I refer to a model that I saw with my own eyes that represents a successful and effective work, it would be desirable if it were repeated in the world. I launched the book “On the Destiny of People of Determination” in its German edition in the “Diwan”, the Arab Cultural Center supervised by our embassy in Berlin, and I gave a lecture in it, followed by a discussion session with intellectuals And I felt the effective role played by this Qatari cultural center in serving Arab culture in an important country like Germany, and I wished that this center would become a Qatari example in the major capitals of the world, and our ancient Arab culture deserves such attention.
I want to stress the importance of spreading the culture of documentation in our society, and I have repeatedly called for everything related to the World Cup to be documented since it began to be thought of as a success for Qatar and the Arabs, and we must record all its details of the efforts of the leadership, individuals and institutions in writing, audio and video, and we are in the Qatar Library Patriotism - with our will, experience and technical competencies - are able to make a major contribution to carrying out this task in cooperation with everyone, especially with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which accomplished most of the World Cup work.