FIFA's has chosen Qatar over the United States to host the 2022 World Cup, and the internationally renowned "reformist" Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi is crowing that it represents a victory for Muslims over America. Interestingly enough, the English-language stories on Qaradawi's Friday sermon say nothing about Muslims; in the Arabic, however, it's a different story. Here is my rough translation of a piece on this from Elaph.com:
"Qaradawi: Qatar's grab of the first World Cup victory for the Muslims for America," from Elaph.com, December 4 (thanks to Emad):
The scholar Dr Yusuf Qaradawi, head of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, said that Qatar's success in hosting the 2022 World Cup competition is the first made by Muslim countries over the United States of America.He said Sheikh Al-Qaradawi, in his Friday sermon in the Mosque of Omar bin al-Khattab, said yesterday that the country's insistence on success and excellence led him to follow the developments on the issue, and that he "and sat in front of the screen watching the results of the vote like the rest of the country."
Al-Qaradawi said that Qatar's victory was a slap in the face of the United States, and criticized President Barack Obama on the results of the free vote, and described his comments as "very bad."
Qaradawi said that Obama's resentment of Qatar's victory reveals that America wants to monopolize everything about Arabs and Muslims in all walks of life: military, economic and even sports....
Reminds me of when Mullah Hitler refused to give Jesse Owens his earned medal in the 1933 Olympics (is that the right date?). I can see something similar happening in 2022. At the very least, I'll bet there will be many unfair calls by referees of the Muslim persuasion against infidel nations OR calls for the death of those refs who dare to make fair calls against the teams of Muslim countries. This is a setup of the grandest proportions, putting infidels at risk of any number of assaults when all Islamic teams are eliminated in the first round.
Ima
Excerpts from Religious Freedom Reportr on Qatar:
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148841.htm
"The law prohibits proselytizing by non-Muslims and restricts public worship. The state religion is Islam.
Both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims practice Islam freely. Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist practitioners generally worshipped in private locations without government or societal harassment but there were restrictions on public worship.
Converting to another religion from Islam was considered apostasy and technically a capital offense; however, since the country gained independence in 1971, there has been no recorded punishment for such an act.
According to the criminal code, individuals caught proselytizing on behalf of an organization, society, or foundation of any religion other than Islam may be sentenced to a prison term of up to 10 years. Proselytizing on one's own accord for any religion other than Islam can result in a sentence of up to five years. Individuals who possessed written or recorded materials or items that supported or promoted missionary activity could be imprisoned for up to two years. However, the government has not convicted anyone for proselytizing since the law’s 1973 inception.
Other religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Baha'ism, were not legally recognized, although adherents were permitted to worship privately in their homes or with others.
The government prohibited Christian congregations from advertising religious services or using religious symbols visible to the public, such as outdoor crosses; the government stated, however, that this was done to protect the congregations from attack by Muslim extremists.
Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'is, and other religious groups do not have authorized facilities in which to practice their religions. The government generally considered members of these religious groups as transient members of the community not requiring permanent religious facilities or clergy; however, worship by these groups in private homes and workplaces was allowed.
In June 2010, an Irish woman was sentenced to seven years in prison following her conviction for insulting the Qur'an in a September 2009 incident in the women's mosque at the Doha International Airport. Government authorities claimed that the woman entered the mosque wearing indecent clothing, took a copy of the Qur'an, and threw it on the ground. The woman denied the charge and claimed that the Qur'an fell from her hands by accident. The court further ruled that the woman should leave the country following her punishment."
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How many petrodollars did it take to buy off FIFA officials? Aside from the obvious human rights abuses enumerated above in "moderate" Qatar, it is a physically flat, barren, intensely hot place in July, when this year's Cup was played. It is chilly and rainy in winter months. Just what tourists want, in addition to being subtley or overtly discriminated against at every turn, if they are non-Muslim. Qatar, or any Islamic country, has ever fielded a top soccer team.
This is the power of money and ideology over corrupt and politically ignorant officials. They are vermin. Will soccer fans follow them, or show some honor and principal?
1936. FIFA's decision committee is full of corrupt bribe-takers. I know b/c I read the NYT, which is good for something if you read between the lines of its ubiquitous political correctness and solicitude toward Muslims. Otherwise, I have a cat with "feline Alzheimer's" (he's 19 and his kidneys and brain are slowly failing), and I find the paper is excellent for dealing with those times when he forgets about or can't find the litter box.
My best guess is that there won't be a World Cup in 2022 because by that time islam will have become so radicalized that they will ban the tourney as 'unislamic'.
Hillary in Manama, Bahrain, congratulates Qatar
Gulf News Dec 5th 2010
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/clinton-congratulates-qatar-for-winning-world-cup-bid-1.722801
Hillery also received advice from the Iranian foreign minister as to the underlying reason for the Democrat mid term failure - it's because her boss is unkind to Iran.
Financial Times Dec 5th 2010
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c018a62e-0066-11e0-aa29-00144feab49a.html#axzz17GKf6CdM
From JW five years ago
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2005/08/saudi-clerics-declare-football-un-islamic-tell-youths-to-wage-jihad-instead.html
I guess Qatar takes no notice of fatwas from the Saudi Ulema.
As t-ham alluded to in a comment back then, the proper Islamic use for a stadium isn't football, it's executions.