Qatar may have prepared for the World Cup with slave labor, but MSNBC’s Ayman Mohyeldin used his Saturday show to say that people should be careful when criticizing them because of the existence of the European migrant crisis and conservatives in the U.S. being pro-life, don’t want sexualized curriculum for elementary students.
Mohyeldin, who once labeled Chris Kyle a racist, declared that criticism of Qatar “reveals the depths of Western prejudice, performative moral outrage, and perhaps most significantly, gross double standards.”
Before moving on, Mohyeldin acknowledged, “I lived in and I worked in Qatar for the better part of five years.” While it nice that Mohyeldin admitted this, he also omitted the crucial part that the work he did was for Qatari-funded Al Jazeera.
Mohyeldin then went on a digression about how corrupt FIFA is and that those criticizing Qatar should turn some of their displeasure their way, which nobody ever disagreed with.
After claiming that Qatar hosting the World Cup, despite a lack of notable soccer history, is no different than the U.S. doing the same in 1994, Mohyeldin returned to the issue of Qatar’s human rights record, “Look, no one is saying Qatar is perfect. But I'm urging us to be a bit more nuanced in our critiques and resist simply parroting generic Orientalist tropes. While it is fair to question and criticize Qatar, I wonder if this debate is truly about migrant workers’ rights and human rights or is it that European countries, who view themselves as the guardians of global soccer for their own selfish economic purposes, can't stomach the idea that an Arab Middle Eastern country will host this venerable global gathering?”
A report shows that 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the country was named host, but that was not mentioned as Mohyeldin turned to American conservatives, “I wonder if any of these American pundits, grandstanding about human rights, called for the U.S. To be stripped of hosting the 2026 World Cup for the way elected leaders in this country and our judicial system in this country have rolled back reproductive rights, or are trying to ban the world “gay” in public schools or even ban books.”
Only an MSNBC host could say that homosexuality being illegal in Qatar and straw men about not being able to say “gay” in certain states, the desire that books in school be age appropriate, and that elected – a key word Mohyeldin completely ignored – leaders are pro-life are comparable.
Switching back to Europe, Mohyeldin then focused on opposition to illegal immigration, “Europeans should set a better example of how migrants and their own countries are treated. More than 24,000 migrants have died trying to cross into Europe since 2014.”
Concluding, Mohyeldin absurdly claimed Qatar is held to a different standard than other dictatorships, “Nuance and context matter here. And now have accused Russia, China, and Qatar of sports-washing. To suggest Russia and China, which have accused of war crimes and genocide respectively yet who are both allowed to host the World Cup and the Olympics are in the same camp as Qatar is dubious and disingenuous.”
The International Olympic Committee’s decision to award the Olympics to China was fiercely condemned and there was a futile movement to move the games out of Beijing. At the same time Russian athletes and sports teams have been banned or prohibited from competing under the national flag.
This segment was sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
Here is a transcript for the November 19 show:
MSNBC Ayman
11/19/2022
9:40 PM ET
AYMAN MOHYELDIN: What has played out over the past several years and intensified in the final few months before the World Cup kicks off reveals the depths of Western prejudice, performative moral outrage, and perhaps most significantly, gross double standards.
And full disclosure, I lived in and I worked in Qatar for the better part of five years. As a Muslim, I'm also acutely aware of the social conservatism and the societal limitations Qatar has to balance in welcoming fans from different backgrounds while preserving cultural and religious norms and traditions.
And as an avid soccer fan, I also plan on attending the World Cup, which as an Arab-American, I'm excited to witness in the Middle East.
But let's be clear here: in making these impassioned attacks about Qatar, a great deal is being swept under the rug. FIFA, world soccer's governing body, is arguably one of the most corrupt international organizations in the world. It has been plagued with accusations and scandals. So much so that the U.S. Department of Justice indicted several high-ranking FIFA officials in 2015. To say that the governing body and its rules in awarding countries the right to host the World Cup needs reforms, well, that's an understatement.
Which means that if Qatar is a villain in this, it is certainly not alone. When Qatar won the bid to host the World Cup, some questioned how a country with a little soccer history was allowed to host it. But that actually belittles the purpose of the tournament and ignores history. In fact, today, Qatar is the reigning Asian champions.
When the U.S. won the World Cup, the country did not have a professional soccer league. And yet, with the arrival of the World Cup, the sport has taken off in meaningful and lasting ways. A major purpose of the tournament is to advance and promote the sport as a form of positive development.
Look, no one is saying Qatar is perfect. But I'm urging us to be a bit more nuanced in our critiques and resist simply parroting generic Orientalist tropes. While it is fair to question and criticize Qatar, I wonder if this debate is truly about migrant workers’ rights and human rights or is it that European countries, who view themselves as the guardians of global soccer for their own selfish economic purposes, can't stomach the idea that an Arab Middle Eastern country will host this venerable global gathering?
I wonder if any of these American pundits, grandstanding about human rights, called for the U.S. To be stripped of hosting the 2026 World Cup for the way elected leaders in this country and our judicial system in this country have rolled back reproductive rights, or are trying to ban the world “gay” in public schools or even ban books.
No one is accusing the U.S. of trying to sports-wash its anti-women, anti-LGBTQ, anti-book policies and perhaps, Europeans should set a better example of how migrants and their own countries are treated. More than 24,000 migrants have died trying to cross into Europe since 2014.
Nuance and context matter here. And now have accused Russia, China, and Qatar of sports-washing. To suggest Russia and China, which have accused of war crimes and genocide respectively yet who are both allowed to host the World Cup and the Olympics are in the same camp as Qatar is dubious and disingenuous.
