Muslim countries and their cultures are against LGBT pride.
This is an unexpected development, and I am shocked. We don’t have centuries of experience to predict how people might react. It’s hard to imagine that Qatar, the host of the World Cup, would not be interested in celebrating the LGBT community.
This has led to unexpected developments such as this.
Just now: Security guard refusing to let me into the stadium for USA-Wales. “You have to change your shirt. It’s not allowed.” pic.twitter.com/TvSGThMYq8
— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022
This is just one example of the many that have gone viral on social media. The rainbow-clad logo of the US men’s soccer team had to be dropped. It’s not clear why they were going to wear it in the first instance, but every public event must now be an LGBT pride event. The problem is not that people want to support a particular thing. It’s not a problem to travel to another country with completely different cultural values, and expect them to accept you.
Contrary to what many left-leaning people, including the Biden administration, believe, I am not a fan. I have written pieces critiquing their interference in US politics.
But that doesn’t alter the fact of the situation on the ground. While I don’t like Qatar as a country, I am not ignorant enough to believe I can be disrespectful of their culture while there. Every nation is not westernized. Every nation is not convinced that everything is possible. What did they expect to happen? They really thought Qatar would accept rainbow shirts all over, basically spitting on their most deeply held beliefs.
It was an option to host the World Cup in Qatar. If the goal was to create a Westernized experience that includes turning the spectacle into an LGBT pride event, then it is best to hold the World Cup in a Western country. But that wasn’t the right decision. Decisions have consequences. Isn’t that the left that preaches about respecting other cultures?
Qatar is a fundamentalist and Muslim country. Their governance is based on religion. They consider the whole LGBT concept to be an insult to all they believe in. It doesn’t mean you have to agree to that.
To fight back against that, you could deny them the World Cup and boycott the games once the players have committed to going. You can’t fight that by crying on Twitter about how you had to change your clothes.
