Interesting how we could go from one oil-rich nation to another with the same potential – yet one went down a much darker path. We should all know the story by now regarding the absolutely horrific human rights violations against Qatar. If you’re not aware, years ago Qatar essentially bought the rights to host a FIFA World Cup event. The corruption in the FIFA leadership was obvious before this but even bigger then. Nations are awarded these rights several years in advance to give them time to fix up their nation to host. Qatar bought its way into the 2022 hosting opportunity.
[Image via Ivan Kurmyshov/Shutterstock.com]Qatar is a very small nation and its national soccer team has never qualified for a World Cup event. They will be the first Arab nation to host as well. However, when everyone found out what happened and leadership changed in FIFA, it was still decided to allow Qatar to host. Yet Qatar has repeatedly violated human rights, as they have forced 30,000 migrant workers to build everything. They gave them next to nothing for living accommodations, often withheld wages, and even took away passports. The horrific treatment of these workers has happened as recently as late 2021, and it isn’t as if their own citizens are free from the government’s wrath.