Jewish groups unhappy at Qatar World Cup treatment – media
Just days after an about-face on serving alcohol in and around stadiums throughout the World Cup in Qatar, it has been claimed that Qatari authorities have pulled back on plans to permit the preparation and sale of cooker kosher food as well as restricting Jewish prayer worship in the deeply conservative Muslim nation.
Upwards of 10,000 Jewish people are expected to arrive in Qatar throughout the course of the FIFA World Cup, but according to The Jerusalem Post, followers of Judaism will face an uphill struggle to follow the principles of their faith throughout the course of the tournament.
“We were promised to be allowed to create prayer spaces in order for religious Jews who came to see the games to have a place of worship,” the publication quoted an unnamed representative of a Jewish organization as saying.
“We were recently told that they banned places of worship for Jews because they cannot secure them.”
It was also claimed that Jewish people will be unable to purchase cooked kosher food throughout the tournament in spite of prior claims that it would be available for visitors.
Many Jewish people observe rules in the Jewish faith which mandates how food should be prepared and considered fit for consumption, with a specifically trained person known as a Schochet required to oversee the slaughter of animals.
“They were promised to be able to cook kosher food including kosher meat, but at the moment have only been allowed to sell cold bagel sandwiches,” the sourced added to The Jerusalem Post.
“There is no kosher food, there are no Shabbat meals and no public prayer services,” another said.
It was also claimed that Qatar’s claims of inclusivity throughout the tournament have rung hollow.
“They [said they] would separate religion from sports, so how come the great Qatar doesn’t know how to secure Jewish worshipers?” the source added.
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which officially kicked off on Sunday, has been accompanied by accusations of corruption, as well as perceived abuses of migrant workers and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals.
Qatari officials have consistently stated that everyone will be welcome at the football showpiece, and have denied many of the claims made against the country.
