Of course, all individuals should be respected, and Qatar is a sovereign nation that can enforce the laws it chooses to enforce. The only problem with the World Cup were Westerners who had been so lulled by 20 years of Religion-of-Peace propaganda that they assumed that Qatar would be a Western-style secular state and endorse all of the West’s current cultural fads. It doesn’t, and no one had any reason ever to expect otherwise if they had been prepared to face the facts about Islam and its impact on the culture of the nation and the surrounding region.
Note also that if any German official said that German culture should be respected, he or she would be charged with “Islamophobia” and excoriated accordingly.
“Qatar criticism too harsh, its culture should be respected, top German football official says,” by Fatemeh Salari, Doha News, December 15, 2022:
Critics went too far in attacking Qatar for its hosting of the World Cup, the vice president of the German Football Association has said, adding that the country’s culture and heritage should be respected.
Ronnie Zimmerman told the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper on Wednesday that the extreme criticism and condemnation of Qatar since 2010 was not the proper course of action.
“I consider the general and absolute rejection an exaggeration, because it does not lead to anything but rejection from the other side,” he said.
Qatar has “changed a lot of things positively in recent years, also with regard to working conditions for foreign workers,” he added.
Zimmerman said that after speaking to citizens and foreign and European workers who have lived in Qatar for several years, he saw a different picture of the country.
“I came to an Arab country for the first time in my life and after all the negative reports, frankly, I was very surprised by the openness and friendliness of our reception,” Zimmerman said….
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser…paid a two-day visit to the Qatari capital amid a feud that was sparked over her public criticism of Qatar’s hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“It is important to support the country of Qatar in groundbreaking reforms,” Faeser said.
“That is why I have decided to continue to be part of the process and travel to the first match of the German team.”
However, Faeser went on to wear the controversial OneLove armband in support of the LGBTQ Community during Germany’s match against Japan.
European pagan says
Soooo boring is this LGBTQ onelove propaganda
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Actually no, my respect for muslims is inversely proportional to how devout they are in following islam
Westman says
It seems there were enough incidents to Qatar-ize the expected improvement in Qatar-West relations at the personal level. One definitely was unwelcome as an Israeli journalist or holding the beer franchise. Is anyone doxing those Qatari party jets and reporting on what transpires on “vacation”?
Imagine the 2002 Olympics in Mormon Land if there had been no beer. The Olympics Committee would have picked a different venue.
EU blather aside, Qatar is mainly “respected” for its money.
And speaking of Qatar money. “..free trips and World Cup tickets..”:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/15/european-parliament-may-ban-qatari-officials-from-premises
gravenimage says
Yes–this is all about Qatar’s unearned oil wealth.
tim gallagher says
I can find nothing in Qatar’s “culture and heritage” that I respect. To me, islam is nothing but an incredibly backward, totally barbaric, violent and evil religious ideology. What aspect of its primitive garbage are civilised, non-Muslim people supposed to respect. I have met some pleasant enough Muslims, but islam itself, no, it has nothing that I can see that is worthy of respect.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Precisely! And not just that, I fail to see how different Qatar is from other Arab countries, like Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Yemen, et al. The Emirates and the Saudis are at least trying to reform (although Christine D-W might disagree), but Qatar is today what the Saudis were in 2001: bankrolling the most vicious jihadists in the world
tim gallagher says
I didn’t know that about Qatar, Infidel. I have zero respect for the nature of islam. Zero respect for the intrinsic hatred and violence towards all non-Muslims, as found in the Koran, zero respect for the pedophilia, with the child brides, and on and on. To me, islam is some primitive throwback to mankind’s earlier history. When I do meet pleasant Muslims, I see it as almost a miracle since I know that the Muslim upbringing creates huge numbers of hate-filled people.
gravenimage says
True, Tim and Infidel.
tim gallagher says
Thanks, gravenimage. I can find nothing in islam that deserves anyone’s respect. It is such an evil and barbaric load of rubbish. In some other religions, even for non-believers, there is at least a peacefulness and high ideals to aim for in those religions, which isn’t there in islam.
tgusa says
Well nobody ever accused this guy of being a rocket surgeon and he is the VP of the association. Shut up and play with your balls Ronnie. You are way out of your league.
gravenimage says
Germany: Vice president of German Football Association says Qatar’s culture and heritage should be respected
…………………………………
What, exactly? The abuse of women? Using foreigners especially non-Muslims as slave labor? Antisemitism, including not allowing Israelis to travel there directly? Having the death penalty for gay people? Sorry–I don’t respect any of this savagery, and neither should any civilized person.
What exactly does Ronnie Zimmerman consider worthy of our respect there?
John ..Smith says
Well said Gravenimage, they don’t deserve any respect whatsoever.
mick says
A sensible approach in his case. A son of the German WW2 generation does not look good on a high horse.
Alkflaeda says
He should list whatever good things there are that we could reasonably be asked to respect. Islamic art and architecture, maybe – neither of which seems to have been afforded any prominence at Qatar. But then, you have to ask – would they have achieved these things without being Muslim? And, barring the fact that a lot of artistic patronage is likely to have been bankrolled by Islamic conquest and enslavement, I think the answer might be “Yes”.