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Has Qatari Govt Prohibited Alcohol And Homosexuality For Visitors During Fifa World Cup? No, Viral Claim Is False!
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
India, 10 Oct 2022 10:18 AM GMT
Editor : Bharat Nayak |
As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
We found that a conservative group circulated the image in Qatar, attempting to preserve the ‘Qatari identity’ built around Islamic values and principles. The Qatari government has issued a different set of guidelines which do not contain any particular restriction against clothing or consumption of alcohol, among others.
A poster with a list of rules and the hashtag #ReflectYourRespect is going viral across social media in the context of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022.
The global football tournament will be held in Qatar for this year's edition, with the first match taking place on November 20, 2022. Users circulating the graphic are claiming that the rules are issued by the Qatari government for the acts that are to be avoided by visitors to the Middle-Eastern country.
Claim:
The poster has text both in English and Arabic with 'Qatar welcomes you' written on top. The advisory text in the poster reads, 'Reflect your respect to the religion and culture of Qatari people by avoiding these behaviours'
The list advises against drinking alcohol, homosexuality, not honouring places of worship, profanity, immodesty, loud music and sounds, dating, and taking pictures of people without their permission.
The image is viral across Facebook and Twitter.
Fact Check:
The Logical Indian fact check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. The image was circulated by a conservative group in Qatar attempting to preserve the 'Qatari identity' built around Islamic values and principles.
We conducted a reverse image search on the viral image and came across this image uploaded by the Twitter handle @RYRQatar. In the image uploaded on October 1, 2022, the caption reads, Reflect Your Respect.
The Twitter handle has the same profile picture as the image seen in the viral poster. The bio of the handle reads, 'We contribute to the consolidation of Islamic values and principles that support the Qatari identity.'
An Instagram page was also linked in the Twitter bio, which led to several similar posts.
After conducting a keyword search for 'Reflect your Respect', we came across a HuffPost article published on May 27, 2014. The article talked about how the "Reflect your Respect" campaign would be launched in Qatar on June 20, 2014.
Reportedly, the campaign was launched by a group of female Qatari activists who would ask people to dress modestly in public places. As per the HuffPost article, the campaign is a response to what they consider a "cultural invasion" of the clothing worn by outsiders'.
We then conducted a keyword search for the guidelines issued by the Qatari government for foreigners travelling for FIFA 2022. We came across a list of guidelines on the official website of Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022.
As per the guidelines, people would usually be able to wear their clothing of choice. However, they are expected to cover their shoulders and knees when visiting public places like museums and government buildings. At hotel beaches and pools, swimwear can be worn. There is a prohibition on the removal of shirts in the stadium. The list requests people to curb public displays of affection, as it is "not part of local culture."
The guidelines note that alcohol will be available to purchase for fans who wish to enjoy it.
Image Credit: Qatar FIFA world cup
We then came across a tweet from the official Twitter handle of Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022. In the note published on October 6, 2022, it is noted that the poster is not from an official source of the Qatari government and contains incorrect information. The Twitter page representative said that an extensive guide for visitors would be provided shortly.
Conclusion:
We found that a conservative group circulated the image in Qatar attempting to preserve the 'Qatari identity' built around Islamic values and principles. The Qatari government has issued a different set of guidelines which do not contain any particular restriction against clothing or consumption of alcohol, among others. Thus, we can conclude that the viral image was circulated with a false claim.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
Also Read: No, India Does Not Have Religion-Induced Population Imbalance As RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Claims
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