Qatar Responds to Germany's Accusations Regarding Human Rights

Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs accused Germany of "double standards" over their criticism of the host country's human rights record for the World Cup, and defended, in a press interview published on Monday, Doha's summoning of the German ambassador to protest.

Qatar faces intense criticism from rights groups over "its treatment of migrant workers," who together with other foreigners make up the bulk of the country's population.

Last month, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the German ambassador over comments by Interior Minister Nancy Wieser that a country's human rights record should be taken into account in deciding whether it would be selected to host the World Cup.

"On the one hand, the German people are misled by government politicians. On the other hand, the (German) government has no problem with us when it comes to partnerships or investments," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in an interview with the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" in the field of energy.”

He added, "We are upset by the double standards," noting that Qatar has faced a systematic campaign against it for the 12 years since it was chosen to host the World Cup, a campaign that no other country was granted the right to host this tournament has faced.

He told the newspaper: "It is ironic that this chord is being played on in European countries that call themselves liberal democracies. Frankly, this behavior is arrogant and racist."

Sheikh Mohammed described calls for security guarantees for minorities, which Weser requested as a precondition before they agreed to attend the World Cup, as unnecessary and said German politicians should focus more on hate crimes occurring within their country's borders.

Source: Reuters

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