A Saudi-Chinese agreement to hold a summit between the two leaderships every two years and to sign agreements worth billions of dollars.. The Saudi Crown Prince affirms the Kingdom’s commitment to the “One China” policy

A Saudi-Chinese agreement to hold a summit between the two leaderships every two years and to sign agreements worth billions of dollars.. The Saudi Crown Prince affirms the Kingdom’s commitment to the “One China” policy

    Thursday, December 08, 2022   No comments

 

A Saudi diplomatic source in Riyadh told the German news agency that “the Saudi and Chinese sides agreed to hold a summit between the two leaderships every two years,” without disclosing further details.

The agreement comes during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Kingdom, which is the second, and it came at the invitation of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said today, Thursday, that Riyadh is firmly committed to the "one-China" principle and supports Beijing in protecting its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

  In a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, bin Salman said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is firmly committed to the principle of ‘One China’, supports China in defending its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, supports the measures and efforts that China is making to de-radicalize, and strongly opposes external interference in China's internal affairs under the pretext of protecting human rights,” according to China Central Television, according to Sputnik.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the summit of the Chinese-Gulf Cooperation Council, in addition to the first-ever Chinese-Arab meeting, and indicated that the summit will be a “milestone” in the development of Chinese-Arab relations.

The Chinese president affirmed his country's readiness to strengthen relations and cooperation with Riyadh in various fields, and to support peace and stability around the world.

Today, the Chinese president held talks with Saudi leaders on the second day of his visit to Riyadh, Thursday, before witnessing the signing of billions of dollars worth of agreements between the two economic powers aspiring to enhance their rapprochement, despite Washington's warnings of the escalation of Beijing's influence.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he got out of his car upon his arrival at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh, the official residence of the king and the seat of the royal court, according to footage broadcast by state media.

Later, the Chinese president met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and in the presence of the crown prince, they signed the "comprehensive strategic partnership agreement between the Kingdom and China," according to the Saudi Press Agency. They also agreed to hold a meeting of the leaders of the two countries every two years.

"China-Saudi cooperation has broad future prospects, and the Chinese side regards the Saudi side as an important force in a multipolar world, and attaches great importance to developing a comprehensive strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia," Xi said, according to Chinese state media.

The Chinese president confirmed that Beijing is ready to expand oil trade with Riyadh and will "list Saudi Arabia as an outbound tourism destination" for Chinese citizens.

Xi was awarded an honorary doctorate in management from King Saud University "in recognition of his achievements and great efforts in management and leadership, and in gratitude for the thriving relationship and continuous cooperation between the two friendly countries," according to the agency.

And Saudi government media reported that the visit witnesses the signing of agreements worth about $29.3 billion in several fields, at a time when China wants to strengthen its economy affected by the Corona virus, while the Saudis, historical allies of the United States, seek to diversify their economic and political alliances.

- important partner -

During the visit, the Chinese president will participate in two Gulf-Chinese and Arab-Chinese summits attended by leaders of the countries of the region who have already begun to flock to the Saudi capital, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

China, the largest consumer of Saudi oil, is strengthening its trade and political ties with a region that has long relied on the United States for military protection but has expressed fears of a diminishing American presence.

Hours after his arrival on Wednesday, Saudi state media announced 34 investment agreements in sectors including green hydrogen, information technology, transportation and construction.

The official Saudi Press Agency did not include additional details, but said that total trade between the two countries amounted to 304 billion Saudi riyals ($80 billion) in 2021 and 103 billion Saudi riyals ($27 billion) in the third quarter of 2022.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman believes that China is an important partner in the “Vision 2030” economic reform, as he seeks to involve Chinese companies in huge and ambitious projects aimed at diversifying the economy away from fossil fuels.

These projects include the future city of NEOM, which has an investment value of $500 billion and will rely heavily on facial recognition technology and surveillance.

Saudi Investment Minister Khaled Al-Falih said that Xi's visit will contribute to raising the pace of economic and investment cooperation between the two countries, as the visit provides "returns" to Chinese companies and investors, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

- Interviews with Arab leaders -

Diplomats based in Riyadh reported that the Chinese president may hold bilateral talks Thursday with other Arab leaders who arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of Friday's summits.

Tunisian President Kais Saied will also arrive in Riyadh on Thursday. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will also attend. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shiaa Al-Sudani and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch confirmed their presence.

China's foreign ministry said Xi's program represented "the largest large-scale diplomatic activity between China and the Arab world since the founding of the People's Republic of China."

This was not lost on the eyes of the White House, which warned of "the influence that China is trying to develop around the world."

"We are aware of the influence that China is trying to expand around the world," John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, told reporters. The Middle East is certainly among these regions where they want to deepen their level of influence,” he said, adding, “We believe that many of the things they seek, and the way they seek them, are not compatible with maintaining the international order governed by specific rules.”

"We're not asking countries to choose between the United States and China, but as the president has said many times, we believe the United States is certainly in a position to lead in this strategic competition," Kirby continued.

Washington has long been a close partner of Riyadh, but the relationship has recently soured over disagreements over energy policy, US security guarantees to countries in the region, and human rights.

Xi is making his third trip abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted China to close its borders and embark on a series of lockdowns, hurting its giant economy.

Syria refused Turkey's request to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Assad

Syria refused Turkey's request to arrange a meeting between Erdogan and Assad

    Tuesday, December 06, 2022   No comments

 The leader of the Justice and Development Party, Orhan Miri Oglu, declared, "Damascus rejected Ankara's request to arrange a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad."

"Damascus intends to postpone the meeting between Erdogan and Assad until after the Turkish elections," Merioglu told Sputnik.

It is noteworthy that Miri Oglu confirmed, earlier, that the Turkish president is ready to meet his Syrian counterpart, and that he did not reject the idea of meeting.

And the Turkish president had assured Al-Mayadeen, earlier, that he was "ready to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad when the time comes," saying: "I may meet al-Assad when the time is right. I am not a politician used to saying that this is not possible or that it is impossible. When the time comes Of course, we may meet with the Syrian president."

Last November, Erdogan hinted at the possibility of reconsidering relations with Damascus after the 2023 elections in Turkey, saying: "We can reconsider our relations with the countries with which we live in problems, after the elections."

It is noteworthy that the Turkish presidency announced, earlier, that Moscow had offered to mediate in order to hold a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Turkish presidency stated that "there is no political basis for holding a meeting between Erdogan and Assad at the present time, but Ankara does not close the door to diplomacy," adding that Russia offered to mediate and facilitate a meeting between the two leaders.

Times: Banning alcohol gave women the chance to enjoy the World Cup without hassle

Times: Banning alcohol gave women the chance to enjoy the World Cup without hassle

    Friday, December 02, 2022   No comments

There is no questions that explicit and implicit bias against Arabic and Islamic societies and their values systems were present during this FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar. In addition to the bigotry expressed by German politicians and players, mainstream western media focused on promoting their own rights agenda without respect for the laws and cultures of host nations. 

To put things in perspective, imagine yourself going to person who is hosting you in their home, and instead of enjoying their company and hospitality, you decide to protest, while in their home, the fact that they are running a dry home require you to take your shoes before you step in their living room. Yet, that is exactly how some Western leaders and players behaved while in Qatar.

However, it seems that if they listen to some members of their social groups, especially those historically marginalized, they might end up see some of the benefits of creating an inclusive space that is not built on propaganda and identity politics.

A report by the British newspaper The Times quoted testimonies of a group of English cheerleaders who accompanied their country's national team to Doha in order to encourage the "Three Lions", confirming that they were not subjected to any harassment, and they also considered that the decision of the Qatari authorities to prevent alcoholic beverages during the matches contributed to a certain extent. Great in that, and they described the Qatar World Cup stadiums as more suitable for women to watch the matches compared to what is happening in their country.

Between truth and deception

British young woman Ellie Moloson, 19, is leading a wide campaign in her country, calling her the slogan "It's her game too" in order to make football stadiums more welcoming to women, because of the harassment they are exposed to during matches, and before she came to Qatar to support her country's national team, she felt a lot. She was so worried that she asked her father to accompany her to Doha for their protection.

However, Moloson admitted in a statement to the British newspaper that she discovered that she "did not need to disturb her father, because the World Cup stadiums in Qatar are different from what they are in her country."

"I must say that coming here was a real shock for me," she said in the report prepared by journalist Davey Brown.

The report considered that the Qatar stadiums provided a more suitable atmosphere for women than those in England, and the young Moloson - a student from Nottingham - admitted that she also had preconceived notions before going to Qatar, "but the reality was nothing like this, I did not suffer from any One of the inconveniences I experienced in England," she said, adding, "I don't know how they achieved it, but it's a great environment to experience."

For his part, Moloson's 49-year-old father, who works as a teacher, explained that he came to Qatar with the aim of taking care of his daughter, but he admitted that he discovered that he did not need to do so because of what he discovered in her.

Kiev: About 13 thousand Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war; not 100,000

Kiev: About 13 thousand Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war; not 100,000

    Friday, December 02, 2022   No comments

Contradicting the EU figures that put the estimate to more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 soldiers have been killed, Ukrainian officials said today that "about 13 thousand Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war."

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said today, Thursday, that up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia's special military operation in Ukraine on February 24.

"We have official estimates from the General Staff that the number of dead ranges between 10,000 and 13,000," Podolyak added, on Ukrainian Channel 24, revealing that the country's president will publish official data "when the time comes."

And when Russian forces were seeking in June to take full control of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky said that his country was "losing 60 to 100 soldiers a day."

In September, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that "5,937 Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the conflict."

According to these statements, it is suspected that the two warring parties are underestimating the size of their casualties in order to avoid a negative impact on the morale of their forces.

And the Chief of Staff of the US Army, General Mark Milley, said earlier last month that "more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the Ukrainian war," noting that "the losses among the Ukrainian forces may be similar."

Yesterday, Thursday, European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant announced, at a press conference from Brussels, that the Commission does not intend to apologize to Kiev after publishing information about the killing of 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers during the war.

"There was no need for an apology, we explained the context and reasons (for the statement) on social media," the spokeswoman said, adding: "We are working with Ukraine on common goals."

"According to estimates so far, more than 20,000 civilians and 100,000 soldiers have been killed (in Ukraine)," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

 The US Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, said on Wednesday that "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon."

Malley claimed, during a webinar hosted by the "Foreign Policy" daily related to Iran, that "with regard to the nuclear agreement, the closer the parties are to agreeing on a formula to revive the agreement, Iran puts forward new demands at the last minute."

Malley explained that on September 1, "Iran put forward a new condition, which is that the agreement must be accompanied by an end to the sanctions imposed on it."

He added, "The suspension of sanctions comes within the framework of the agreement, and the latter is not up for discussion now, so the sanctions will continue in the same context."

This comes as Iran affirms that it is serious about reaching a nuclear agreement, and that it will not hesitate to reach a "good, strong and sustainable" agreement, but it is calling for guarantees that the United States will not withdraw from the agreement again, and it is also calling for the closure of the International Atomic Energy Agency's allegations.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said, "The Americans are sending us through some foreign ministers that they are in a hurry to revive the nuclear agreement, while the US envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, says, "The nuclear agreement is not among Washington's priorities."

Since the beginning of reviving the nuclear agreement, Tehran has been stressing on 4 basic issues: guarantees after the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement, lifting sanctions on Iran, verifying the occurrence of these matters, in addition to closing the file of political allegations of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Malley: The diplomatic option is the most appropriate

The US envoy for Iran claimed during the symposium that, "As soon as US President Joe Biden took office, we immediately declared to our European allies our intention to revive the nuclear deal, provided Iran complies."

He added, "The diplomatic option is the most appropriate to stop Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons," noting that "we are working in close and coordinated steps with France and Britain to achieve this."

Malley quoted Biden as saying, "The time may come to activate the military option against Iran, but conditions are not yet ripe," noting that "our consultations with the leaders of both parties are continuing on Iran, and we are aware of the size of the opposition of some in Congress."

Earlier, Malley himself spoke about the possibility of the next US president leaving the nuclear agreement, noting that "there are no guarantees that this will not happen."

And at the end of last October, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said: "We believe that the American political will can help sign the agreement," stressing that his country will not wait for an agreement to secure its interests, nor will it link its relationship and foreign policy to the nuclear agreement.

Malley: A new system of sanctions against Iran has been activated

During the symposium, the US Special Envoy for Iran pointed out that the US Treasury Department took into account all the circumstances accompanying the activation of sanctions with the lowest rate of consequences, i.e. diplomacy backed by sanctions.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, last month, that the madness of sanctions against Iran has turned into a "virus" that is transmitted to countries allied to Washington, stressing that imposing sanctions on the media and journalists is a violation of part of the main rights of the Iranian people to make their voice heard in the world.

According to Malley, "a new system of sanctions has been activated against Iranian officials for their dealings with the protests," announcing that "Washington is devoting its technical capabilities to the demonstrators in order to communicate via virtual space."

Malley announced "his strong support for the demonstrators in Iran," adding that "the demonstrations come at a sensitive historical period that is reshaping Iranian history," as he put it.

Malley added that "Washington's behavior in the 2009 demonstrations in Iran should have been better, and we must deal with wisdom," saying: "We intend with our other allies to hold Iranian officials accountable for what is going on."

The spokesman for the Iranian Shura Council's presidential body, Nizamuddin Mousavi, stated that "about 45,000 people and foreign intelligence agencies are causing riots." Iran also condemned the US interference in its affairs, represented by supporting the riots that took place in Iranian cities.

Report: Half of the world's democracies are in decline, and Washington is in peril

Report: Half of the world's democracies are in decline, and Washington is in peril

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

A report published by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance revealed today, Wednesday, that half of the democracies in the world are witnessing a decline in their political system.

"We are now seeing factors that are very unfavorable to democracy, exacerbated by the consequences of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine," Kevin Casas-Zamora, secretary general of the Sweden-based institute, told AFP.

He explained that this regression could appear through a review of the credibility of elections, violations of the rule of law, or the imposition of restrictions in civic space.

The number of democracies facing serious undermining, which the report classified as countries "in decline" increased from 6 to 7 in 2022, with El Salvador added to it along with the United States since last year, and Brazil, Hungary, Poland, India and the island of Mauritius.

Kevin Casas-Zamora saw the US situation as "particularly dangerous". The report warned that this country suffers from problems of political polarization, disruption in the work of institutions, and threats to civil liberties.

"It is now clear that this fever has not subsided with the election of a new administration," said the Secretary-General.

This appears especially in the levels of polarization out of control, and attempts to "undermine the credibility of election results without any evidence of fraud," according to Casas-Zamora.

The rise of authoritarianism

Of the 173 countries included in the report, 52 of the democracies included in it are in decline.

On the other hand, 27 countries moved to an authoritarian regime, which is more than double the countries that moved to democracy.

Likewise, almost half of the authoritarian regimes tightened their repression during 2022, while Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, the Comoros and Nicaragua recorded a "regression", according to the report.

In Asia, where only 54% of the population lives in a democracy, authoritarianism intensifies, while the African continent remains "resilient" in the face of instability despite the many challenges it faces.

In Europe, about half of the democracies, or 17 countries, have suffered a decline over the past five years.

The report stressed that "democracies are striving to find an effective balance in an environment of instability and anxiety, and populism continues to spread in the world, while innovation and growth are stagnant or regressing."

He noted "worrying trends" even in countries with medium or high democratic standards.

Casas-Zamora explained that "democratic regimes have recorded a real deterioration in the last two decades, and this raises a hot issue," but on the other hand, there are "signs of progress."

_________

Sources: 

https://www.idea.int/news-media/news/global-democracy-weakens-2022

Qatari Minister to the West: LGBT people can visit our country but don't try to change our beliefs

Qatari Minister to the West: LGBT people can visit our country but don't try to change our beliefs

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

The Minister of State for Energy Affairs in Qatar, Saad Al-Kaabi, told the German newspaper “Bild” that members of the LGBT community can go to Qatar to watch the World Cup soccer matches, but the West cannot “dictate” to Qataris what they should believe.

Relations between Qatar and Germany have been troubled recently.

The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Weser, put the “One Love” badge that supports gays in the match that her country played against Japan last week, and criticized the human rights record in Qatar, but this week Germany concluded a deal to import liquefied natural gas from

In his statements, which were published by the German newspaper "Bild" today, the Qatari minister said about the LGBT community: "If they want to visit Qatar, we have no problem with that."

But he said the West wants to "dictate what it wants" to Qatar, which considers same-sex relations illegal.

He added, "If you want to change me so that I say that I believe in the LGBT community and that my family should be gay and that I accept homosexuality in my country and change my laws and Islamic teachings in order to please the West, then this is unacceptable."

Wealth and Power: Sexual slavery pursues Ukrainian women and contempt for Africans

Wealth and Power: Sexual slavery pursues Ukrainian women and contempt for Africans

    Monday, November 28, 2022   No comments

"The tendency to enslavement represented, in ancient times, a basis for prestige (the prestige of the master and the prestige of the tribe), and a kind of financial investment, which could be exploited in a period of crisis." A phrase mentioned in a book, published last year, entitled “History of Slaves in the Arabian Gulf." --a researcher and professor of history at the American University in Kuwait, Hisham Al-Awadi. 

Despite the difference in history, and the Gulf countries taking a trend keeping pace with modernity and development, the tendency towards establishing slavery still exists, albeit through disguised methods. Perhaps what the UAE is witnessing today is the best evidence of this, with the spread of “modern slavery” practices towards migrant workers, who are looking for a living outside the borders of their countries.

Human trafficking and illegal practices

Behind the towering building, which touches the clouds in the Emirates, and behind the amazing lights that catch the eye, there is a world of another kind; A world in which many of what can be considered “modern slavery” affect migrant workers, especially Africans, who are subjected to multiple types of exploitation and racial discrimination, from being forced to pay illegal recruitment fees, along with withholding their salaries, to confiscating their passports. Perhaps what is hidden is greater, in light of the documenting by multiple organizations of cases of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

The Emirati black record on human trafficking was also documented by Western media in the aftermath of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, highlighting the process of bringing girls from war and conflict zones to work in prostitution. This was revealed by the British newspaper "Daily Mail", last August, regarding the smuggling of Ukrainian women and children to the Emirates, with the aim of "trafficking in human beings and exploiting them in domestic sexual slavery in Abu Dhabi," according to the newspaper's expression.

However, in front of this scene, the voice of African workers remains the dominant one, as the most vulnerable group and subject to systematic human rights violations, and the most prominent victims in the long list of modern slavery practices in this country.

Mass deportation on racial grounds

Only because their skin is black, African migrant workers in the UAE suffer. For these people, most of whom hail from Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda, their search for a living has turned into a bad memory that may not leave them as long as they are alive.

"They told us we were dirty. They stripped us of our clothes, confiscated our belongings, insulted us and made racist slurs against black Africans." Great suffering faced the Ugandan teacher, Kenneth Rubangakin, in the Emirates, who tried to shorten it, through limited words, after he was arrested for more than a month, and forcibly deported from there without any positive reasons. He is one of about 800 other people who were subjected to the same insults last year, and hundreds of them and others still continue to this day, according to what human rights organizations have documented, despite the UAE government's repeated denials.

This suffering was previously highlighted by Amnesty International in a report, in which it confirmed that "the UAE authorities brutally treated hundreds of people, based on the color of their skin, ill-treated them in places of detention, and stripped them of their personal property and dignity, before deporting them en masse." At the time, the organization quoted one of the victims, Kabirat Olukand, who is from Nigeria, and worked as an assistant in an international school before being deported, that she asked the police officers: “Why am I here? I am not a criminal, and I have residency documents.” It gives, and the UAE takes.” She reported being harassed by the officers there.

Dave Kenny, a researcher at Amnesty International, confirmed that the organization documented a case of grave violations against African workers in the UAE in the summer of 2021, through mass deportation that took place on racial grounds, in an organized operation that targeted this segment because of their African nationality and skin color, and the number of its victims reached hundreds. Kenny pointed out that "the 18 people interviewed by the organization were legally residing in the UAE, and this was confirmed by reviewing official documents and data for 17 out of 18 cases," stressing that "all they were subjected to, from arrest and deportation, was without a legal right,” in light of “the inability of any of them to contact a lawyer, or enter the courtroom,” and as a result of their suffering from very difficult detention conditions for months before they were later deported, saying that the “Cameroonians” were deported to a country that passes in a civil war.

Hence, the researcher at the international organization calls on the UAE government to "compensate the victims as a result of what they suffered at the hands of the authorities, especially in light of their deportation without handing over their personal belongings, and the loss of many of them all their savings, electronic devices, and personal clothes, in addition to licenses, certificates, and medical records." Even personal identities, the government has taken everything from them, and it must return everything that it took from them.”

An incubating environment for companies that violate the rights of migrant workers

Although migrant workers to the UAE make up about 90% of the workforce, the majority of them suffer hardships during their journey into the labor market, as a result of the poor conditions they are exposed to, at a time when this country is a safe haven for companies that violate the rights of migrant workers, forcing them to They have to live under harsh conditions, as documented by the International Trade Union Confederation, "ITUC", which has previously launched an international campaign against "modern slavery" to which this large segment of workers is exposed there.

In this context, the director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, Khaled Ibrahim, sees that the Emirati authorities are primarily responsible for all the violations that African workers are exposed to, and that they are concerned with ensuring the application of human rights standards in the fields of work, while the responsibility also rests with employers, who must be held accountable for those violations that occur against workers They have, and who should be offered protection at all times.

As for the role of international human rights organizations regarding these violations, Ibrahim says, "We have no armies or weapons, we do not have political parties, and we do not promote hidden agendas. Rather, we work completely independently in defending human rights," stressing that these organizations "have The word, and its supernatural power is represented by its sincerity. As a result, we are documenting these violations and working with the international community to stop them."

Nations from the Garden of Prosperity Do not Like Losing to countries of the Jungle

Nations from the Garden of Prosperity Do not Like Losing to countries of the Jungle

    Monday, November 28, 2022   No comments

Continuing the trend of politicizing the first FIFA World Cup ever hosted by an Arab country, which unveiled the prejudice and bigotry of many Western nation-states’ leaders and their media platforms, riots broke Brussels following Belgium’s World Cup loss to Morocco.

This event shows that peoples of the Global North grew accustomed to the sense of entitlement—a deserved abundance of wealth, health, and triumphs. As such, they do not react well to losing and cannot handle not being able to gratify their “wants”. They often refer to protests and riots that may take in countries of the Global South as being symptoms of cultural deficiencies or even biological underdevelopment in "those peoples". Yet, with the first test of loss or unmet want—not need—they find themselves exhibiting even more violent tendencies that they claimed to be part of the DNA of "other cultures"--not theirs.

This event follows other incidents that showed the West’s desire to dictate the conversation on issues that help them sidestep their record poor human rights record and focus on issues that are specific to their societies.

Just days before kickoff, FIFA’s president had to make a long speech defending Qatar’s human rights record and reminding his European friends of their double standard. By the second day of the tournament, he sat next to a German minister who wore the advocacy armband, OneLove, under her jacket and unveiled it once in the stadium, to protest Qatar’s ban on political activities inside the stadiums.

Two days before the match between Iran and the United States, the official US soccer authority scrubbed the word “Allah” from the Iranian flag, claiming that it was an act of solidarity with Iranian protesters. 

This comes after Josep Borell, EU Foreign Affairs And Security Policy Chief gave a speech in which he declaraed that "Europe Is A Garden... The Rest Of The World Is A Jungle". 

U.S. soccer scrubs the word for "God" from Iran flag

U.S. soccer scrubs the word for "God" from Iran flag

    Sunday, November 27, 2022   No comments

In a move that is interpreted to mean that the US has a problem with the Islamic governing system more than with just the leaders of Iran, US soccer officials removed the word "God" from the Iranian flag ahead of FIFA's US-Iran match on Tuesday.

The action was reported by Politico, quoted below:

The U.S. soccer federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday.

Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from their national flag.

The decision by the U.S. Soccer Federation adds yet-another political firestorm to the Middle East’s first World Cup, one which organizers had hoped would be spared of off-the-field controversies.

It also comes as the U.S. faces Iran in a decisive World Cup match, which was already freighted by the decades of enmity between the two countries and the nationwide protests now challenging Tehran’s theocratic government.

The U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement Sunday morning that it decided to forego the official flag on social media accounts to show “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”

The Twitter account of the U.S. men’s team displayed a banner with the squad’s matches in the group stage, with the Iranian flag only bearing its green, white and red colors. The same could be seen in a post on its Facebook and Instagram accounts laying out the point totals so far in its group.