Qatar to call up civilians for mandatory security duty at the World Cup

by Jacob Fuller

Matt Bush, FISM News

 

Qatar has called upon hundreds of its civilian citizens, including some diplomats being called home from overseas, to serve in a military capacity by manning and operating security checkpoints at the upcoming World Cup.

According to Reuters, the population of Qatar is only about 2.8 million and only 380,000 people are Qatari nationals. The country is expecting an influx of around 1.2 million people, or roughly the equivalent of 42% of the entire population of the country, over the course of the tournament.

“Most people are there because they have to be — they don’t want to get in trouble,” a source told Reuters after showing the order papers received by the Qatari nationals.

The civilians were ordered to attend a pre-dawn training at a national service camp near Doha in early September, less than three months before the tournament is set to begin.

Many people around the world, even prior to the enlisting of civilians to serve during the tournament, consider Qatar one of the worst choices to host a World Cup in recent history. Prior to winning the bid, Qatar lacked the infrastructure, stadiums, hotels, and other vital necessities usually considered during the bidding process.

FIFA was also forced to move the tournament from its usual summer schedule to one in November and December because average high temperatures in Qatar are 97 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit in June and July, often reaching highs of more than 105 degrees during the day. Even with a November start, the tournament may be played in temperatures as hot as 85 degrees.

One article from The Guardian revealed that, according to government sources, at least 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar just since they were awarded the World Cup in 2010. That is approximately 12 per week just from these five nations.

An article from Human Dignity Trust outlines how a man can be sentenced to death if he is gay, how women are considered second-class citizens, and how Sharia Law is the accepted law of the land.

A New York Times story highlighted the alleged bribery attempts made by Qatar to FIFA officials that eventually led to their hosting of the event. Most people believe that Qatar, and one official named Mohammed bin Hamman specifically, bribed as many as 25 officials with as much as $15 million.

It is under this microscope that Qatar will be hosting the most popular and most important sporting event in the world in just three months. To make matters worse, the country is not ready for the 1.2 million visitors it will host from a security or infrastructure standpoint.

Prior to the release of this information, Qatar had already hired 3,000 Turkish police, showing that they were already going to desperate measures to be prepared for the event.

A Qatari official, when asked for comment, simply said, “Recruits will provide additional support during the tournament as part of the regular program, just as they do every year at major public events, such as the National Day celebrations.”

Qatari men between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the military for at least four months as part of mandatory national service. This recruitment, however, is different as civilian Qatari men are being forced to serve militarily with little training and without consent to do so.

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