Qatar slams ‘racist and Islamophobic’ French football team cartoon dressed as 'terrorists'

Qatar on Tuesday denounced the caricatures published by France’s Le Canard enchainé in its October issue depicting the Qatari football players dressed as terrorists. The cartoon, which was published as the Gulf nation prepared to host FIFA World Cup 2022 this month, was derided as 'racist'. The image sparked widespread outrage on social media as many Qataris and others worldwide questioned the publishers' ethics for showcasing biased and derogatory depictions of racism, supremacy, and Islamophobia.

The image shows several bearded men wearing football jerseys with the word “Qatar" emblazoned, while they held an arsenal of weapons including knives, guns, and rocket launchers. The offensive image depicted a footballer holding explosives, balaclavas, and other terrorist paraphernalia as it propelled an association of Qataris with terrorism. The image was dropped amid the mounting controversies that the country has been marred with respect to accusations of abuses of migrant workers and LGBTQ communities. 

“A special issue issued by the French newspaper… about Qatar,” an angry commenter wrote online on the images now widely circulating and attracting flak. “You cannot imagine the extent of the hidden French hatred, contempt, and insult to Qatar, its people, its government and its symbols. I wonder why the Qatari ambassador is still in Paris???!!!” Another comment read, “Le Canard Enchaîné published a despicable cartoon showing its blatant racism and hatred of Islam,” one Arabic remark on Twitter read. “They describe Qatar as an authoritarian emirate and its national team as terrorists.”

Condemning the Islamophobic caricature, Hamad Al-Kawari, a minister of state and the president of Qatar’s National Library, said that France must show a “little sportsmanship”. “Even caustic satire is welcome!!!” he tweeted. “But the Canard Enchaîné decided to resort to lies, hatred, and grudges to attack Qatar and denigrate it," claimed the Qatari minister.

France views satirical cartoons as expression: An inalienable fundamental right embedded in its constitution

French publications have often found themselves in a cesspool of controversy for publishing controversial caricatures that find their roots in French culture's affirmed freedom of speech and expression as an "inalienable fundamental right." “The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man," Article 11 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which was incorporated during the French Revolution in 1789, says.

France recognises its values built upon the term 'Liberté' that goes far back to influential 18th-century writings on freedom of expression by the popular philosopher Voltaire. Satirical humour is one of the prominent aspects of French culture that often mocks religion, powerful politicians, and rulers in cartoons. During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI was published as "a pig" in comic strips, and even Catholic Church and the Vatican have been drawn in embarrassing postures by the French publications.

French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, witnessed gun attacks on its publication house after it printed religious satire depicting Prophet Muhammad. While the French government justifies not imposing bans on such satirical drawings citing free press and freedom of expression, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in contrary claims, had said that there was, in fact, an “unprecedented campaign” launched against Qatar. 

“It became clear to us that the campaign continues, expands and includes fabrication and double standards, until it reached a level of ferocity that made many question, unfortunately, the real reasons and motives behind this campaign,” he said in a statement when country was widely criticised for curbing LGBTQ rights.