Renowned Qatari journalist calls out western-hypocrisy over ‘Bisht’ and ‘one love armband’
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Lionel Messi been congratulated by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the "bisht"
Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup in the last match of his World Cup career and couldn’t get any better than this. The fans are joyous with such an emphatic end to his World Cup chapter in what was a fairy tale ending. At the same time, Messi was walking up to the podium at Lusail Stadium to grab the long-wanting golden trophy.
The Qatari shaikhs and the management tried to take a step further by awarding him a “bisht” as a sign of immense respect towards Messi. He first shook hands with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Then he was congratulated by the former with their traditional clothing, which the Qataris wear especially for special events and celebrations.
Then after getting wrapped in gold and black with his famous Argentinan jersey visible, he took the trophy and danced his way up towards his teammates.Lifting the trophy in front of the entire world and giving his fellow citizens a chance to relive the 1986 Maradona triumph. This marked the end of their 36-year-long wait in the significant competition.
The Western media coverage of the incident was in a bad light.They slammed the Qatar officials for politicizing the event. Renowned Qatari journalist Mohammad AlKaab took to Twitter to slam the media’s double standards. He pointed out that the press is covering the use of the controversial “one love armband” and the “Bisht” in a very hypocritical way.
He Tweeted, “The same people and nations that were pro wearing the LGBTQ armband are the ones crying since yesterday because of Messi wearing the BISHT. Contradiction and hypocrisy at its finest,”.
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What did the Western World had to say about this act?
When the national attire of Qatar awarded Messi with their sheik, it got the whole world talking about it. Gary Lineker said, “Seems a shame in a way that they’ve covered up Messi in his Argentina shirt,”. For some, it was again a target of Qatar’s human rights issues that has prevailed for the entire tournament. They again said it was a criticism of the “sports washing”.
The British media outlet, The Telegraph wrote, “The bizarre act that ruined the greatest moment in World Cup history,”. A journalist from New York Times wrote, “Something a little strange about Messi being dressed in Bisht, that black cloak that the emir of Qatar dressed him in before lifting the World Cup. Qatar wants this to be its moment as much as it is Messi’s and Argentina’s,”.
After facing a lot of criticism regarding the moment, Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Committee Hassan Al Thawadi explained the reasons. He said, “It is a dress for an official occasion and worn for celebrations. This was a celebration of Messi. The World Cup had the opportunity to showcase to the world our Arab and Muslim cultures. This was not about Qatar, it was a regional celebration,”.
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Soumyadeep Mondal
(882 Articles Published)