"Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina, we defeated Belgium, Tunisia defeated France?!" Early in the morning of December 1, Hajjar, a Moroccan girl, opened her mobile phone and waited for her with a snowflake celebratory message. "It's so perverse... It's nothing short of miraculous. Having never cared about football, she excitedly told The Paper (www.thepaper.cn).
Tunisia from North Africa won 1-0 against defending champions France, who fielded non-main team, in the final round of Group D of the group stage of the Qatar World Cup on 30 November. Although still third in the group, Tunisia ignited the joy of all Arabs with a historic victory over the former colonial power.
Just a day later, Morocco beat Canada 2-1, and although it "ced" an own goal to its opponent, it still won the first place in the group stage, achieving the first time in nearly 40 years to reach the round of 16 of the World Cup. The news once again made the entire Arab world boil.
For the host Qatar, the 2022 World Cup may be a "PR nightmare" – Western media criticism of Qatar on corruption, environmental protection, migrant labor, and LGBTI rights abounds. What is even more embarrassing is that the "local tycoon" Qatar, which threw hundreds of billions of dollars to hold the competition, did not win a game in the group stage and did not qualify for the knockout round.
However, for Arabs like Hajjar, this World Cup, hosted by an Arab country for the first time, is already a historic victory. In the context of reconciliation in the Arab world, the World Cup provided a stage for former "enemies" to put aside differences and shake hands, and after many years, in the fierce competitive atmosphere, pan-Arab unity was finally demonstrated again.
The "enemy" becomes friends again
In Hajar's memory, the atmosphere on the streets of Casablanca has reached its highest level since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in recent days. On November 22, the Hajar family was startled by the shrill sound of horns and screams outside the door. "It turned out that people were rushing into the streets to celebrate [a team] victory in the World Cup... But when I read the news, it was not that Morocco won, but Saudi Arabia! ”
"It's really unusual that many Arab teams have beaten strong teams from Europe and the Americas, and some people say, is it a rich country like Saudi Arabia that bought other people's teams? But I don't quite believe it. "I don't watch football much, but as an Arab, I was pleasantly surprised by the victory of the Arab team. ”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed, Qatari Emir Tamim and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the opening ceremony of the World Cup.
As the excitement of celebrating the victory of "friends" poured into the streets, it seemed to have forgotten that Morocco did have a politically sensitive period with Saudi Arabia a few years ago. In 2019, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Riyadh after Saudi state-owned Arabia TV aired a documentary about the disputed territory of Western Sahara. There are also reports that Morocco has decided to suspend participation in the Saudi-led military alliance against the Houthis in Yemen.
In order to ensure international support for its continued control of Western Sahara, Morocco tried to maintain good relations with the Gulf States, the European Union and the United States at the same time. As for Saudi Arabia, it has also found a way to express its dissatisfaction: in June 2018, Saudi Arabia voted against Morocco hosting the 2026 World Cup. In addition, after Khashoggi's murder, when the West exerted pressure on Saudi Arabia, King Mohammed VI of Morocco refused an invitation to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed. Now, that's all upside down.
This miraculous victory not only excited Moroccans, but also spread joy throughout the Arab world. Light shows of Saudi flags began on skyscrapers in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and public celebrations were held in almost all Arab countries, from Egypt to Jordan to the Palestinian Gaza Strip and even Saudi-encropped Yemen.
Several Arab heads of state and government attended the opening ceremony of the World Cup at Doha Bay Stadium on 20 November. A picture of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Mohammed wearing a Qatari national team scarf around his neck before heading to the stadium was captured, while leaders smiling and raising flags of "former enemy countries" at the opening ceremony. Mohammed and Qatar's Emir Tamim embraced warmly, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi chatted warmly on the sidelines, and the atmosphere was unmatched and harmonious.
The Saudi crown prince wears a Qatari national team scarf.
Since then, the scene of Tamim wearing the Saudi flag in the Saudi Arabia match against Argentina has also become a good story of the "icebreaker era" - no one seems to remember that in June 2017, Saudi Arabia joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, a storm that did not end until January 2021.
"This World Cup has special significance for the people of the Arab world, given the turmoil, relative underdevelopment and deep-rooted problems facing countries in the region, given the turmoil, the relatively underdeveloped character of the Arab world." Stephen Wright, associate professor of international relations at Hamed bin Khalifa University in Qatar, told The Paper that "the Qatar World Cup brings hope and optimism about the future, and is the only opportunity for all countries to celebrate their achievements together." ”
Wright also pointed out that it is worth noting that the Emir of Qatar used this event as a means to bring regional leaders together and reduce tensions, so this World Cup is not only significant for Arabs, but also has a positive political impact on regional countries.
The Emir of Qatar wears the Saudi flag to watch the Saudi vs Argentina match.
The return of Pan-Arabism?
Unfortunately, Qatar, the "worst ever" host country, has lost two consecutive games and missed the next round, much to the slight disappointment of the home crowd - but when Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia have surprised the powerhouses, the Arabs have neatly displayed the strength of the "host family and friends".
As the match came to an end on 30 November, the Tunisians bid farewell to the second half of the World Cup with a victory, but they also had high hopes for their Arab companions. "The victory over France was wonderful, there was a special feeling... Arab countries have regained their dignity with the former colonial powers through football. In an interview with AFP, a young Tunisian said, "It was a good victory, but in the end we couldn't qualify, and I'm sad... I hope good news from Saudi Arabia. He was disappointed by the subsequent battle – Saudi Arabia lost 2-1 to Mexico in the next round, but a victory over Canada to top the group for Morocco would rekindle his confidence.
Active on the Doha pitch is also a figure of a country that has never qualified for the World Cup - whenever there are Arab teams, crowds of Arab fans can be seen waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans of solidarity with Palestine. Although several Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan have joined the Abraham Accords led by the United States in the past two years and normalized relations with Israel, these political realities have not been reflected in the World Cup.
Tunisian fans unfurled a Palestinian flag with the words "Liberate Palestine" on it.
"This solidarity is not often reflected in regional politics." Mira Hussein, an Emirati sociologist at the University of Oxford, told Time magazine, "It just goes to show that Arab nationalism and pan-Arabism did not die out along with Nasser, as most nation-states believe." ”
Former Egyptian President Nasser is considered a spiritual leader who can rally Arab countries, but Egypt's defeat in the third Middle East war in 1967 left him depressed and the tide of Arab nationalism he led began to fade. In 1979, Egypt became the first Arab country to reach a reconciliation with Israel under the leadership of then-President Sadat, and was immediately expelled from the League of Arab States, and the headquarters of the Arab League was moved from Cairo, the capital of Egypt. But decades later, as more and more countries chose to normalize with Israel, this "collective anger" faded.
Ahmed Rafik al-Awad, director of the Jerusalem Research Center at the Palestinian University of Al-Quds, said in an interview with foreign media that the Qatar World Cup showed that "the idea of Arab nationalism still exists", "but it is incomplete, nor does it have any reference or system to support it, it is a strong feeling, but also the dream and aspiration of the Arab people, however, in the past few years, it has lost its luster and role." ”
Israel's Jerusalem Post reported that many Arab fans refused to talk to Israeli journalists at the World Cup, and some Israeli journalists had to lie that they were from other countries. After winning the match, one Tunisian fan held up a banner reading "Liberate Palestine" in front of Israeli television cameras, while another told Israeli journalists directly, "There is no Israel, only Palestine." These images seem to be the opposite of the signal sent by the pre-opening news report that "180 Israeli fans are heading to Qatar for the first time by direct flight."
"The impression is that once the Israelis arrive in Qatar, the Qataris will greet them with open arms and flowers, and everyone will forget the fact that the Israeli government oppresses the Arab people in Palestine." "But in fact, as long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved, real normalization will not happen." ”
Doha, Qatar, November 29, 2022 – Antonie Robinson of the United States and Ramin Rezaeian of Iran comfort each other after the match between Iran and the United States in Group B of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Visual China map
Say "no" to the West
In the run-up to the World Cup, months of boycotts from many Western countries and in many fields have already scorched Qatar. In October, a giant banner reading "Boycott Qatar 2022" was pulled up in the stands of the Bundesliga. Concerned about human rights issues, pop superstar "Wolf Sister" Shakira, who has appeared on the World Cup opening stage three times, canceled her performance in Doha "at the last minute".
Among many Arabs, resistance has been replaced by enthusiastic support. In their view, the West, while criticizing Qatar's lack of democracy, restricting alcohol sales, opposing LGBTQ and other "bad deeds", is asking it to provide more natural gas to fill the shortage of Russian supplies, which is a manifestation of arrogance.
"These stupid pressures [on human rights] have also done the impossible, and they have somehow united the entire [Arab] region." In a Financial Times report, an Arab businessman doing business in Dubai, UAE, said. Another businessman put it bluntly, "Live your life as you want, but don't wave [these flags] in our faces." ”
The businessman was referring to the phenomenon of some fans and teams in the West displaying signs of solidarity with LGBTQ people during matches. At the World Cup in Qatar, security guards blocked Welsh fans trying to enter stadiums wearing rainbow-coloured hats, and German teams were banned from playing with "One Love" armbands, making headlines in the Western media.
Wealthy Gulf states have long adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to LGBTQ issues. Some Gulf officials also worry that the delicate balance could be upset if the focus on LGBTI issues at the World Cup sparks opposition from broader conservatives. But Qatar's steadfastness has been widely praised on social platforms in Arab countries.
"We don't have as much sexual and political freedom as you do, and we don't claim to be democratic, but we are a stable, prosperous monarchy, and we can organize world-class events and compete with the best opponents." Standing on the common ground of the Gulf countries, Abdulharig Abdullah, a well-known political science professor in the UAE, wrote on Twitter, "So, neo-colonialists, Orientalists and Western hypocrites, please continue to be jealous." ”
Hajar agreed: "Some European and American countries have tried to boycott this World Cup, but I think it is very hypocritical. In that case, why did they come to the competition? "I don't want to link the World Cup to politics, but maybe that's why they were beaten by Arab teams." ”
"Qatar is the only place where there is joy in the sea of Arab sorrow and defeat." Former Tunisian President Monsef Marzouki said in a recent interview with Al Jazeera, "The World Cup in Qatar is encouraging Arabs, Muslims and all third world countries." With the will and wisdom, we can work miracles and overcome all obstacles and see what Qatar has done in just ten years. ”
As Tunisia's first democratically elected president, Marzouki also criticized the Western media's double standard of criticism of Qatar. "They defend democracy, yet they openly support Arab 'tyranny' and the latest events in our country." Marzouki refers to a series of political turmoil in Tunisia since July 2021: "amateur" President Keith Said took the opportunity of the economic crisis following the outbreak of the new crown epidemic to dissolve parliament, purge the political scene, and start the road to constitutional revision and power expansion for the first time after the "Arab Spring", but there has been little criticism or interference from Western countries.
The belief that Qatar has been unfairly slandered by the West is the basis for putting Arabs on a united front, since they are equally victims of such stereotypes and double standards.
"While much of the West's criticism stems from specific criticisms of Qatar's human rights record, many Arabs still believe they are attacking Qatar simply because it is an Arab-Islamic state." H.A. Heller, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in an interview with Time magazine, "Frankly, this statement does make sense, but it is also used to divert and distract people from real criticism." ”
In any case, the World Cup did create a "great unity" in the Arab world, even if that unity was not tested – after all, there had not been two Arab teams playing against each other in the World Cup.
"Unity occurs when they are opposed to the outside." Heller puns it, "And when they compete with each other, problems arise." ”