DOHA: At a time when prickly questions are being requested about Qatar and its website hosting of the Global Cup, Khalifa Al Haroon provides a grin, a sigh and a shrug as he seeks to provide an explanation for its mysteries. Identified to his rising collection of fans as Mr Q, the 38-year-old has develop into a social media hit by means of in part lifting the veil over the tiny however mega-rich Gulf state that describes itself as a “conservative” Islamic nation. The primary Global Cup in an Arab country has put a focus on Qatar’s remedy of overseas staff, gender rights or even using air con in stadiums.
Haroon’s cheerful #QTip movies broach the entirety from announcing “Hi” in Arabic to the suitable means for males to put on the flowing ghutra headdress. There could also be an version on exertions rights. With lower than 60 days to the November 20 get started of the event, he now has greater than 100,000 fans on Instagram and greater than 115,000 on YouTube. And the numbers continue to grow. Qatar has dozens of on-line influencers on subjects starting from “modest” however dear type, to the newest sports activities automotive being imported into what’s now probably the most international’s wealthiest international locations.
Haroon carved out his area of interest by means of elucidating Qatar’s unknowns to its rising expat neighborhood – and now the hordes of soccer fanatics anticipated for the Global Cup. Haroon – who used to be born to a Qatari father and British mom and spent 16 years in Bahrain – mentioned he used to be first faced by means of world stereotypes about Qatar and the Center East whilst finding out for a legislation stage in Britain. He had sought after to develop into an actor, however as an alternative introduced his social media presence in 2008 with a weblog. “I used to be in the easiest place as a result of I used to be a Qatari who hasn’t ever lived correctly in Qatar,” he mentioned.
‘Consider your personal eyes’
“In essence, I used to be like a foreigner in my very own nation and so I had the similar questions that foreigners did, and so it simply made it simple for me to start out hanging in combination data.” Haroon mentioned there needs to be a difference between “damaging information” and incorrect information about his nation. “With regards to faux information, clearly, I believe everyone understands that it’s no longer true and so the one factor that I may just do is display other folks movies and images and display them what we’re truly like as a result of you’ll be able to accept as true with your personal eyes.” Some other folks, he mentioned, have informed him they made up our minds to transport to Qatar after gazing his movies.
Haroon, who’s now a expert to the Qatar Soccer Affiliation and an eSports entrepreneur, mentioned he’s enthusiastic about the Global Cup “as a result of other folks can now come right here and revel in it for themselves and make their very own judgments as an alternative of simply believing what’s written”. His major grouse is how outsiders see one thing damaging about Qatar after which imagine that each one Qataris “settle for it or all of us accept as true with it”.
Many supporters of the 31 overseas international locations who will play in Qatar have raised considerations, alternatively, concerning the welcome anticipating them. Can they drink? And what is going to occur to same-sex {couples} in a rustic the place homosexuality is prohibited? The federal government has insisted that beer, generally limited, will likely be to be had and that everybody is welcome. Haroon needs outsiders to revel in “actual Qatari hospitality”, with its meals and low tradition.
“In fact there are going to make certain social norms,” mentioned Haroon. “What we’re requesting is simply appreciate the rustic. And naturally the rustic will surely be respecting everybody that comes.” “Some other folks may make errors as a result of they don’t know what the principles are and that’s OK,” he added. “The purpose is our tradition is all about goal, our faith is set goal, so so long as you’ve got just right intentions and you wish to have to do the suitable factor, you don’t have anything to fret about.” – AFP