By Micah Neese
Sports have been a beacon for equality and human rights for hundreds of years. While so many other forces work to suppress human rights, sports lift these rights up unfailingly. In 1938, African American fighter Joe Louis faced off against German fighter Max Schmeling in a match that carried significance beyond the realm of boxing. The fight pitted the oppressive, discriminatory ideology of the Nazi party against an American ideology (still somewhat unrealized) committed to freedom and equality. When Joe Louis won in the first round, it sent a message to the world. It was the same message that Jesse Owens sent the world two years earlier when he dominated the Olympics in Berlin with four gold medals. America, who had considered pulling out of the Olympics because of Hitlers fascist ideology, did much more damage by allowing their 18 African American athletes to compete and dominate. Adolf Hitler, who had agreed to host the Olympics in order to showcase the ability of the master Aryan race, was so frustrated that he left the stadium before shaking hands with any of the athletes. In these two eventful years of sports that preceded the deadliest decade in world history, the message was clear, even as it cackled through the newly invented household radio; the peoples, nations, and races that had been put down as inferior for so long deserved the same human rights as everyone else.
In the Mexico City Olympics of 1968 two African American sprinters became major symbols of the civil rights movement in the US and worldwide. Tommie Smith and John Carlos won gold and bronze (respectively) in the 200 meter sprint and when they took the podium, as the US national anthem played, they raised their gloved fists in protest of the oppression of blacks in the US. A few months earlier, Martin Luther King had been assassinated and the Olympics provided Smith and Carlos with an opportunity to gain the support of the world in their fight for human rights. Their gloved fists became a symbol for both a decade of progress for African American rights, but also for the fight against the oppression that continued.
It’s important to realize the ability that international sporting events such as the 1968 Olympics, the 1936 Olympics, and the 1938 championship boxing match have to create change, especially when these events so often highlight inequality and oppression. This year saw multiple major clashes between human rights and international sporting events.
The Arabian Peninsula has rapidly become home to some of the most prominent members of the global economy. In the past couple of decades, cities like Dubai, Riyadh, and Doha have risen up from desert nomad lands into some of the world’s most impressive skylines. There is nothing like oil to lift skyscrapers out of a barren desert. This has turned what were previously little more than tribal leaders into powerful authoritarians and turned close knit Islamic communities into theocratic governments with an increasingly diverse population to oppress.
Because of the growing wealth in the Arabian Peninsula and also because of the nature of sports that prioritizes inclusion of all regions of the world, Qatar has been chosen as the host of this year’s World Cup and Saudi Arabia has become the home of the PGA tour’s new competitor, LIV golf. The oppression of basic human rights in these countries has created a mounting debate on whether they even deserve to host international events or be a part of the global community.
Multiple golf leagues sought out partnerships with Saudi investment in order to compete with the PGA tour, but it wasn’t until October of 2021 that LIV Golf was launched by Golf Saudi which is a branch of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Saudi Arabia’s intentions were immediately evident: better its public image through sportswashing and compete with America’s PGA tour. LIV golf lured away top American talent with huge sums of money. An immediate controversy was created with Saudi Arabia’s criminal human rights record at the center. Top golfers such as Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks Koepka, who were bought out by LIV golf, remain silent on the human rights reputation of Saudi Arabia. From the PGA loyalists there arose a list of grievances that included the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
The authoritarian control of the Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman has led to an oppression of freedom of speech; a freedom that sets the foundation for all other freedoms. In 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who previously had close ties with the royal family but had exiled himself to the US to write criticisms of the crown prince, was brutally killed in Istanbul by the Saudi government. This event was more than just another instance of Saudi Arabia’s suppression of freedom of speech. This was an indication of how far the authoritarian government will go to attack the rights of speech. Even those who criticize the Saudi government from outside of Saudi Arabia will be attacked. Khashoggi’s murder occurred on foreign grounds and therefore attracted the attention of the world, and deservedly so. But Saudi Arabia’s horrific treatment of journalists has been a problem that should have been condemned by the rest of the world long ago. Many Saudi journalists who opened up discussions about the government, such as Raif Badawi, were jailed for their work long before the global spotlight fell on the Khashoggi killing. The world has failed in protecting freedom of speech in Saudi Arabia by waiting until the problem exceeded Saudi Arabia’s borders. Because of this, little has come of Khashoggi’s killing as all the blame was moved down to low level individuals said to have been acting on their own.
Another issue that topped the list of grievances against Saudi Arabia is women’s rights. Many Islamic theocracies, like Saudi Arabia, strictly enforce women’s dress and male guardianship over the decisions of women. Until recent years, Saudi Arabian women had to obtain permission from a male relative to travel, work, or educate themselves. Now, women are still required to wear modest clothing in public, but it no longer has to be the traditional Islamic abayas or hijabs. Under Mohammed Bin Salman’s rule, women’s rights are greatly expanding, especially in the cities, as the country tries to join in the ranks of global powers such as the US.
Saudi Arabia is incentivized to progress women’s rights in order to gain the acceptance of the global community, but is disincentivized to allow open criticism of the government because of the oppression that remains. So in one way the rest of the world is lifting human rights in Saudi Arabia up and in another way it is pushing them back down. Although the oppression of freedom of speech means that we can’t have any real faith that Saudi Arabia’s other reforms have made any impact, so there is still an overall erosion of human rights in Saudi Arabia since they came under the authoritarian regime.
Despite this, the world has put enough faith in Saudi Arabia’s facade to let them host international events like LIV Golf which bring money into the country and work to further Saudi Arabia’s undeserved global acceptance.
Another economic power on the Arabian peninsula that is attempting to garner global acceptance through the hosting of an international event is Qatar. Qatar is the host of this year’s World Cup. Despite their “best” efforts, they’ve done little to deserve the acceptance of the global community. It seems that, if anything, they’ve badly exposed themselves to the world. Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup were only made possible by horrendous violations of human rights.
Because of the small size of Qatar and the large economy, there is a heavy reliance on migrant labor. There are roughly two million migrant laborers in Qatar, which accounts for two thirds of the population. The construction of infrastructure for the World Cup drastically increased this need.
Qatar has failed miserably under the responsibility for this project. Qatar’s migrant labor system is based on an exploitative hierarchy, known in many Arab countries as the Kafala system. In the Kafala system, companies are given sponsorship permits to bring in foreign labor. They have complete control over the laborers ability to stay in the country. Migrant workers aren’t allowed to quit, leave, or change jobs until their contracts expire. Their passports are often withheld from them by their employers until the end of their contracts. The power difference between employer and employee is the same as between master and indentured servant. The Kafala system has been repeatedly referred to as modern slavery. Domestic workers are also victims of the Kafala system, often being treated as slaves or even sexually harassed. Many workers have been detained in prisons for fleeing an abusive work environment. The Kafala system is in place throughout most of the Arabian peninsula and the recent economic expansion of these countries has made the problem exponentially bigger.
There have been some attempts to reform the Kafala system, but in the face of the massive undertaking of the World Cup, it has been far too little and far too late. The number has been disputed, but a widespread claim is that 6500 migrant workers who came to build the stadiums, hotels, transportation systems, and roads for the World Cup have died. This is over a fifth of the 30000 workers that were said to have immigrated to work in the World Cup preparations. This is a massive atrocity that exposes just how cruel the migrant labor system of Qatar is. These workers lack any protection from the deadly heat and were overworked, underpaid, and forced to live in terrible housing. They also lack access to health care and were among the populations worst hit by COVID. On top of this, global studies have shown that 39% of migrant workers suffer from mental illness. Qatar did nothing to improve the state of the migrant worker before the World Cup and the rights to undertake such an international project should never have been given to Qatar in the first place.
Another issue that was discussed heavily in the decision to make Qatar the 2022 World Cup host was the LGBTQ rights within the country. Qatar has been very silent about whether it will improve LGBTQ rights before thousands of international fans flood the country for the tournament. As of now, homosexuality is punished by up to 7 years in prison. Qatar has made some pleas that its “culture be respected,” which serves as a discouragement to the LGBTQ protests that were being planned. Many of the soccer teams such as the US, Australia, and Britain are still donning the rainbow flag on their uniforms and putting it on their logos in protest. Other teams, like Denmark have toned down the logos on their jerseys, declaring that they “don’t wish to be visible in a tournament that has cost thousands of lives.” Whether or not these demonstrations will bring lasting progress to human rights in Qatar will soon be seen, but I have faith in the ability that sport has to create change.
Perhaps this year’s World Cup will have the same significance for civil rights as the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. They fulfilled the most noble role that sports plays in our society and serve as role models to the golfers and soccer players now flooding the Arabian peninsula.
It isn’t because of a blatant disregard for human rights that countries like the US hesitated to condemn the Khashoggi killing and tolerate the oppression that continues to exist in these countries. Saudi Arabia and US relations carry heavy economic importance because of Saudi Arabia’s dominance of the oil market. Severing our relations with the Saudis would have huge consequences. We’ve already felt the impacts of OPEC’s manipulation of the oil market. Gas prices in the US have fluctuated as OPEC opens up and restricts its production. It could be far more dire if relations with Saudi Arabia were severed. The countries in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), including Iran, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, wield far too much power over the rest of the world. They’ve been able to hide their oppression of human rights behind this power. Balancing our responsibility to protect human rights with our desire for economic stability is a difficult task that will require some sacrifice.
Although many Arab countries are significant players in the global economy and have seen vast development, they should be held accountable for upholding and protecting human rights. The vast differences between the development of these countries makes no difference. Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia all rank among the top 20 richest countries in the world according to GDP, but are accused of the same human rights violations as their counterparts such as Yemen and Afghanistan that rank among the top 20 poorest countries in the world. Having wealth does not pardon these countries of their oppression of human rights.
Both LIV Golf and the World Cup offer us important opportunities to create change through sports. The international sporting events that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are using to cover up their human rights record can also be used as platforms to fight against these violations of human rights. Golfers and soccer players around the world have an opportunity to initiate change in the Arabian Peninsula in the same way that Tommie Smith and John Carlos used their performances to initiate changes in the US. Changes that helped shape the country we have today and changes that we are very grateful for.
