SHAH ALAM - Social media exploded into debate after journalist Grant Wahls posted a Tweet that he was barred by a security guard from entering the stadium for the United States vs Wales World Cup match in Qatar on Monday as he was wearing a rainbow football themed t-shirt.
Qatari authorities had provided prior warning that promotion of LGBT rights, in particular reference to the rainbow or "1 Love" logo were banned under Syariah law which is enforced in the Gulf nation. Similarly, football's governing body FIFA too had directed teams to adhere to domestic law and competing teams were advised to forgo adornment of the rainbow armband by their captains as was the case in the West.
Wahls however, stated on his Twitter account that both FIFA and US Soccer Federation (USSF) representatives told him publicly that rainbows on shirts and flags would not be a problem at the Qatar World Cup, as the organiser was not in control of the tournament.
Qatari netizen Naif Nahar rebutted WAhls, stating that there were other cultures that have distinctive values that deserve to be appreciated.
"I don’t know when Westerners will realise that their values aren’t universal; there are other cultures with different values that should be equally respected," he said in his reply on Twitter to Wahl.
Naif said: "Let’s not forget that the West is not the spokesperson for humanity."
Qatar's strict laws with regards to LGBT activities and promotion have become a centre of debate and has divided the football world, with some players criticising the country over such laws, while others have called for visitors to respect local laws and values.
One such example was France captain Hugo Lloris, who stated that he would not be wearing the rainbow armband in Qatar to respect the local laws.
"In France, when visitors come here, we want them to respect our culture and values. Thus, it should be the same when we visit other countries, we have to respect their culture and laws," said Lloris.