Outrage at Western media criticism over Qatar emirs’ bisht gesture in World Cup final

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LONDON: Some Western media and journalists expressed contempt after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, accompanied by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, draped a bisht over the shoulders of Argentina captain Lionel Messi while that he was set to lift the World Cup on Sunday after his team’s victory over France in the final.

The presentation of the garment is a tradition practiced by some Arab nations as a gesture that reflects deep respect and honor for important and influential personalities.

But as the world watched Messi lift the trophy, BBC Sport presenter and former England international footballer Gary Lineker, who on December 13 called the United States an extraordinarily racist country, said: in a way, that they covered Messi in his Argentina shirt.

The Telegraph newspaper described the bisht gesture as a bizarre act that ruined the greatest moment in World Cup history. The Mirrors headline claimed that Messi was forced to cover Argentina’s shirt.

British sports journalist Laurie Whitwell, who works for The Athletic Football, wrote in a Twitter post that Qatar wanted to be in the World Cup trophy photos, described the bisht as a weird and unnecessary look and said Qatar’s gesture was extremely forgiving.

In a tweet that was later deleted, ESPN correspondent Mark Ogden described the bisht as a cape that looks like a haircut.

Remarks and sentiments such as these were met with outrage on social media, with many users calling them ignorant or racist and praising the tournament’s Qatari hosts for the gesture.

The stance of some Western journalists demonstrated either their sheer ignorance or outright hatred towards this expression of local customs and traditions, MSNBC opinion columnist Ayman Mohyeldin wrote on Instagram.

He pointed out that winning athletes are given gifts to wear all the time depending on local traditions or even tournaments. He cited as an example Pelé receiving a sombrero during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Mohyeldin added that such displays of ignorance and hatred are something we have seen time and time again throughout this tournament.

Several Twitter users also responded to media criticism of the bisht by sharing photos of Pele wearing a sombrero as he celebrated Brazil’s World Cup triumph 53 years ago.

Messi was draped in a bisht (given to him by the Emir of Qatar) out of respect for being the greatest player of all time and lifting a World Cup. It’s an iconic moment, wrote one Twitter user, condemning the negative comment as a form of racism.

Susan Borden, Vice President of Michael E. DeBakey High School in Qatar, wrote in a LinkedIn post that some of the online comments about the bisht were derogatory and added: When it is the emir of a country who literally offering the bisht, putting it on you with his own hands is the highest honor that can be given to this civilian.

A Twitter user responded to ESPN Ogden saying it’s your job as a reporter to figure out what’s going on before you cry about it.

Another user told The Atlantics Whitwell that the gesture from the Emirs of Qatar was a gesture of appreciation and said: This is something you will never understand unless you cleanse your heart of hate.

Others described journalists who criticized the presentation of the bisht as salty and advised them to relax. Some reporters, however, seemed to understand the significance of the gesture.

I’m probably in the minority here, but I thought Lionel Messi wearing a bisht was a good idea, wrote sports journalist Zach Lowy.

Bishts are given to Arab warriors after victory in battle or kingship. Messi has just won the biggest battle of all and confirmed himself as the king of football.

Another commenter wrote: This is an appropriate and respectful gesture for Messi. We could benefit from some nuance in our critique of Qatar and FIFA.

In his Instagram post, Mohyeldin added: Instead of using this moment to foster cross-cultural understanding or even asking critical questions to serve readers’ interests, some journalists have chosen to use their platforms to denigrate and denigrate an iconic moment. and festive in the history of sport. .

Throughout the Qatar 2022 tournament, social media commentators around the world have raised concerns about some Western media criticism of the host country. Many described the rhetoric as biased, racist or Islamophobic.

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