In U.A.E., the FIFA world cup was held for the first time; thus, Qatar did its best to introduce Arab culture and traditions to the outside world at the opening ceremony. A warm welcome with a fusion of western and eastern norms lights up the whole ceremony.
Details Of FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony 2022
Date And Location
It was a 30-minute ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor on Sunday, 20 November 2022.
Well, in a nutshell, an exciting event full of controversies. Sweet, spicy interaction between the international community and the Arab world.
Artists At The Event
Gulf state ignited the event with well-known artists’ performances. It includes:
- World famous k pop group B.T.S. member Jungkook.
- The appearance of American actor, director, and narrator Morgan Freeman
- Participation of young Qatari YouTuber and entrepreneur Ghanim Al-Muftah
- The famous singer or model of the gulf state Fahad Al Kubaisi
Main Theme Of The Opening Ceremony
Qataris used a tent theme to depict unity among all the nations. Irrespective of color, age, race, and sex, everyone was here to enjoy the football match, and controversies and conflicts occur, but in the end, we are the tenants of the earth.
The whole scenario represents the warmness and hospitality of the Muslim culture and plays a crucial role in cleaning the misconceptions about Muslims worldwide.
Differences in culture and tradition between nations are inevitable, but we should respect others’ cultures and boundaries; by doing that, a heavenly place will come into existence with no negativity and bloodshed over minute fights.
They portray humanity through this tent theme: above all nations, humanity matters the most. It would be best if you spoke against justice irrespective of the victim’s race, color, and nationality.
Recitation Of The Holy Quran
For the first time, the history of the FIFA world cup opening ceremony set off with the recitation of the Holy Quran verses. Verse 13 of Surat Al-Hujurat portrays the importance of accepting diversity and differences among human beings.
یٰۤاَیُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ وَّ اُنْثٰى وَ جَعَلْنٰكُمْ شُعُوْبًا وَّ قَبَآىٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوْاؕ-اِنَّ اَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اَتْقٰىكُمْؕ-اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِیْمٌ خَبِیْرٌ(۱۳
Translation:
O mankind indeed, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.
These verses are the symbol of leave and peace. These were delivered by Ghanim Al-Muftah(a young Qatari) with the company of morgan freeman.
Additionally, a gift hamper filled with dates was also given to spectators to let them understand more about the hospitality culture of Muslims.
Jungkook Performance
B.T.S member perform his song Dreamers and his Qatari co-star Fahad Al Kubaisi; both lighten the environment. It reduced the competition intensity and stress on the audience and increased their enthusiasm.
Seven Panel System
The seven-panel system included in the opening ceremony was responsible for different activities throughout the ceremony.
Qatar represented the national and international culture, a fusion of the western and eastern worlds. This fusion unites all the people in a single place.
- The Calling Panel
It involved the welcoming of guests through a warm, humble sound, “El Hoon. “
- To Get To Know The Panel
It possessed the exchange of dialogues between American actor Morgan Freeman and young Qatari entrepreneur Ghanem a Muftah, illustrating that it is not difficult to approach a member of a different nation.
When you start communicating, a language barrier will no longer be valid.
- The Rhythm Of Nations Panel
This panel was responsible for encouraging 32 teams and lowering their stress level through famous motivational quotes.
- Football Nostalgia Panel
They gave respect to the former host countries by collecting their official talisman.
- Dreamers Panel
It was a recreational activity in which k pop star Jungkook and Qatari artist Fahad Al Kubaisi sang different songs. It includes dreamers, Haya, and welcome songs.
- Roots Of Dream
A time slot was allotted to represent the football culture in the Muslim world; a video description of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani( the former emir) playing football with his friends.
- Here And Now
In it, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ( emir of Qatar) delivered a speech and ended the opening ceremony by displaying the official Qatar FIFA world cup 2022 flag at 15 meters.
Results Of The Opening Ceremony
All these efforts put a positive image of Muslims in the international world. As I said, a simple way to remove misconception from the mind is to provide proof of your innocence, not through your words but from your actions. Qatar has done this in the opening ceremony of the FIFA world cup 2022.
Qatar beautifully represents its religious and cultural ethics without harming other nations’ sentiments. Recitation of HOLY QURAN, along with gift hampers having dates and scents in them to the audience, these small efforts represent the hospitality of Muslims.
They decorated the walls of welcoming hotels with verses of the hadith of beloved prophet HAZRAT MUHAMMAD (P.B.U.H.). It paves a new way for the Muslim world to enter sports contests and other programs without hesitation.
Controversies In The Opening Ceremony
Morgan Freeman
Hollywood artist morgan freeman faced public criticism because of his performance in the opening ceremony of the Qatar world cup 2022.
Many people wanted him to boycott Qatar due to accusations against Qatar, such as human rights violations, death cases of migrants, and cases of corruption.
If you want to know more about Qatar world cup 2022 controversies, check this out:
FIFA World Cup 2022 Controversies: What Are These Conflicts?
His co-stars and fans teased him, making fun of him that he did all this for money. Twitter is brimming with Memes and hateful content against morgan freeman.
Everyone has the right to select what he wants to do and what he does not want; instead of judging others, our society needs to learn how to respect and accept others’ decisions.
Some Artists Refuse To Perform On Qatar Grounds.
Various profound singers turned down the offer proposed by the organizers to perform at the FIFA world cup 2022 opening ceremony. It includes:
- Dua Lipa
The 27-year-old British star (having a huge fan following in the L.G.B.T. community) was in rumors that she would perform in the opening ceremony.
She shut down all the rumors through her Instagram post that she will not be performing and have not been in any negotiation for performing in the world cup ceremony.
- Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart (rock legend) said no to the organizers when he received an offer to perform.
He told Time magazine that around 1 million dollars were offered to him for his performance. He rejected it on human rights basis.
- Shakira
Shakira has been a regular member of previous FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies. She was the lead singer alongside the Fresh Ground group to record the welcome song for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.
She also performed in the previous Brazilian world cup. But this time her team said she would not participate in the 2022 opening ceremony without giving any valid reason.
B.B.C. Refused To Cover The Opening Ceremony
B.B.C. refused to broadcast the FIFA world cup 2022 opening ceremony because of human rights abuse and corruption allegations in Qatar.
Conclusion
In the end, everything went well. Those planning to boycott the FIFA world cup 2022 still enjoy the matches and support their favorite team.
We are there for a friendly tournament, not religious and cultural disputes.
