Qatari media, closely linked to the government, have denounced in recent days criticism, mainly European, of Doha's human rights record before the 2022 World Cup. Since the awarding of the organization of this World Cup, the wealthy Gulf emirate faces numerous criticisms aimed in particular at its environmental footprint, the place of women and LGBT+ minorities and the treatment of migrant workers.

On Monday, to illustrate these criticisms, the Arabic-language daily

Al Raya

published a satirical drawing representing the World Cup trophy surrounded by arrows.

In an editorial, the newspaper said the European press had been waging "a furious attack on the World Cup in Qatar since it was announced in December 2010".

"Let's stop the smear campaigns and cooperate for a World Cup that unites people," the daily added.

“Lies, rumors and slander”

The Al Sharq

newspaper

published an interview with former Algerian football star Lakhdar Belloumi on Monday, who assured that "malicious campaigns will not discourage Qatar".

In an editorial, the newspaper denounced on Sunday the "lies, rumors and slander" written in Europe on the preparations in Qatar.

There is, according to this text, a “systematic conspiracy” of the media of many European countries on the subject of the rights of migrant workers, “while these media have forgotten the miserable conditions experienced by workers in Europe”.

“We see that these miserable media create these kinds of stories every time a country outside the Old Continent hosts the tournament,” concludes Al Sharq.


In an op-ed for the English-language news site

Doha News

, titled "It's time you practiced the tolerance you advocate", artist Ghada Al-Khater wrote: "Forgive me for doubting the intentions of European countries that , over the past decade, have watched migrants fleeing conflict, devastation and poverty drown at the bottom of the Mediterranean”.

As the tournament, which begins on November 20 and will draw more than a million spectators to the emirate, approaches, international NGOs and European media are pointing to Qatar's human rights shortcomings, which the Qatari authorities dispute .

In protest, some French cities will not install a giant screen to broadcast matches in public.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, deplored the attacks on Arab countries last month at the United Nations General Assembly.

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