MESSI AND THE BISHT

A CULTURAL RORSCHACH TEST

We see things through our own mental/cultural filters.

For Arabs it was seen as an act of love!

For the West, it was a ‘Hijacking’.

Yet, both sides express a yearning to be absorbed in key moments of a sport they love so much.

Pointing to an opportunity for Sports to bring people together hearts and minds sans politics.

We have a choice, dialogue and global multiculturalism vs. Promoting hate, fear, anger & monoculturalism.

SO..

Where do we go from here?

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27th Dec 2022

I watched the final match of the 2022 World Cup with my brother and two of my nephews.

It was a very exciting one, we enjoyed it tremendously and could not ask for more from a finale match.

When Argentina won we hugged each other, jumped up and down together screaming & shouting with joy.

In the ceremony, before the trophy was handed to Messi, Sheikh Tamim (The ruler of Qatar) bestowed a ‘Bisht’ (Arabian Cloak) on Messi who stood proudly to have it put on him.

One of my nephews commented

“I would have preferred it not being given at that particular moment”.

The rest of us thought it was the right time to fully express the honour it was denoting.

That was it! A very calm exchange of ideas.

Western Media, however, immediately went berserk!

The Arabs were shocked out of their warm fuzzy feelings when they were slammed with the comments coming from Western Media and social media.

Some comments were critical but seemed within reason.

Other remarks were rather extreme

Commentators on German TV expressed extreme agony with one writhing in IBS style as if Messi was drawn and quartered on screen rather than honoured.

The Telegraph, British newspaper, initially wrote the headline

“The bizarre act that ruined the greatest moment in World Cup history”

Then changed it to the less emotionally charged, but still biased

“Lionel Messi made to wear traditional Arab bisht for World Cup trophy lift.”

Emotions were churned up as a volcano ready to erupt.

The viciousness of it left a lot of Arabs dazed. It felt like a continuation of the barrage of assaults during this tournament now reaching the pinnacle.

I admit that my initial reaction as well was one of anger and frustration and I felt I had enough of being abused for just being Arab.

It seemed to me that we just missed a great opportunity for cultural connection.

Eventually, I calmed down and tried to understand!  

Why are people so upset over the Bisht specifically?

I read the reactions even though some of them were so racists that they made my blood boil. I asked others what this act meant to them which was not easy as there was still so much anger!

This is when I came to appreciate how the layers of meaning of, almost, unrelated accumulated feelings from the past were making different people look at this so differently.

This was a kind of a cultural Rorschach test that reveals more about the viewers than the actual action (to some degree) as it was clear it had very different meanings to different groups of people.

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To many Arabs.

This was an act of immense LOVE and RESPECT towards Messi and the Argentinian team who are idolized by many in the Arab world.

Millions at home were praying fervently for their hero, Messi, to get finally what they believed he deserved. As well as the rest of the team with other key players such as DiMaria.

It is about HONURING Messi and the team, an acknowledgement of their great feat. Like a Knight being donned special honours by a King/Sheikh after a battle or Tourney with immense passion.

This was not taking away from Messi but crowning him King!

He is now Sheik Messi of the football tribe to them.

There is a significance for it happening at the moment of claiming and celebrating the well-earned victory to maximize the expression of love & respect (based on our history & culture).

The Arab way is rather immediate. The Sheikh confers all the honours he will while the Faris (knight) is still ‘warm’ covered with sweat not in a ‘cold’ formal dinner setting, the European way.

A TRIBUTE to football which is a passion in this region and wanting to be fully immersed in it by representing the Qatari/Arab culture in such a key moment.

The maker of the handmade Bisht (one of the best) said he was surprised that the transparent Bisht was ordered as usually a thicker one is used in winter. Winter in Qatar and surrounding countries might be considered still hot for Europeans but for the locals it can get quite cold at night.

Therefore, the clear intent was to avoid covering the colours of the flag of the champion. To be respectful, not taking it over.

Yet, some Westerners literally stopped seeing the white and blue colours once they saw the Bisht.

The Arabs felt threatened throughout this tournament and mostly at this reaction as it felt like the West is moving major forces to cancel them & their culture.

Anger was triggered, feeding fear & hate

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To some non-Arabs led by Western Media

It conveyed HIJACKING that moment by the Arabs for nefarious reasons!!

Hijacking was literally the word used by the media and then picked up by the public.

They regarded it as MANIPULATIVE power games to impose Arab culture.

They felt emotionally and culturally EXCLUDED from a key and iconic football moment that was supposed to be for everyone. That it was STOLEN from them.

Another point mentioned to me was a tit-for-tat objection.

Because the football fans coming to Qatar were being forced to leave behind their ‘Values, culture, beliefs, self-expression’, I was told.

To me, it sounds like:

“Since you did not agree to the rainbow band & flag as ‘WE’ dictated, you should not be allowed to express your own culture in any way!!”

That left me seriously speechless!!!

A few calmer ones repeated what my nephew said that they would have preferred this moment to stay free of any particular cultural shades and the bisht bit could have happened later.

Citing the example of Pele being adorned with a Sombrero AFTERWARDS.

In the end it was all fanning the flames of hate, anger, fear all around.

I can understand some of the links to Western heritage & history as well the very testy relationship with the Arabs/Muslims over the centuries up to recent events. However, it can’t be denied that various groups & some Western media used it to scale up the spewing of anti-Arab vitriol we have been seeing oozing recently in a steady stream top down from Western governments and media for political purposes!

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I have to admit that, at this point, I am totally disappointed by most of Western Media for the degenerating standards of journalism.

My biggest objection is that journalists never asked the questions or tried to understand.

They just reacted! Using their power to ferment hate, once again!

First, isn’t it even a possibility that Qatar genuinely wanted to confer special honours on the winners whoever they are and especially Messi and the Argentinian team?

Why the black or white thinking of assuming only be evil intentions involved?

They wanted to do it the Arab way for sure. It was, indeed, an opportunity for Arabs to be fully involved in this Sports and for Qatar to represent the culture of the region in it as beleaguered Hassan Al Thawadi tried to explain to the constantly irate Western Media.

They tried to do it as respectfully as possible.

For better or worse, Qatar did not set a shocking precedence in sports!

Winners’ hats that were done on the F1 podium at some point.

The Pirelli cowboy hats in the US and Ushanka hats in Russia.

F1 does not have the same wide emotional pull as football and that didn’t continue any way.

I understand there are various differences but the point is that the idea was already out there.

I am not saying, by any means, the Arabs are always blameless in creating miscommunication but let’s try to avoid making it a circular discussion.

Can we grow up, move forward, and ask some constructive questions such as:

What do we need to ensure on such occasions to make them as inclusive as possible?

Can we agree on a few principles?

• That there are many sides passionately involved in football and ALL are entitled to share fully in it.  
• Can we go back to the spirit of sports bringing people together leaving politics aside and all the moral colonialism attached to it. Allowing people on the grounds to connect freely and break cultural barriers?
• A collaborative approach, through dialogue with no particular side forcing their own perspective as the only ‘Morally’ or ‘Ethically’ correct one.

And mostly, endeavour to shut up for a moment, listen and try to understand what the other side is saying.

LISTEN

RESPECT

ASK QUESTIONS