From time to time Amnesty International surprises us with controversial reports about the situation of the expatriate workers in Qatar. In its recent report Amnesty indicated that workers are subject to bad treatment and claimed that they are not receiving their due payments and rights on time. These accusations are immoral and lack credibility because the promoters of these allegations are spiteful groups composed of both Arabs and foreigners.

The first group is determined to put forth this unreliable information with the aim of insulting Qatar and defaming it by spreading rumours and writing false reports to submit them to respectable organizations such as the International Labour Organization Amnesty International and other human rights agencies.

Spitefulness and political motives are sometimes pushing such entities to try to influence the FIFA management to review or change its previous decisions by creating confusion and making the international community hesitate about Qatar’s ability to host the World Cup event in 2022.

The second group of Europeans receives the false information from the first group composed of Arabs who do not like good things to happen to Qatar and any other Arab country. I personally blame in this regard some Western writers who are repeating unreliable information and deliberately trying to defame Qatar whether through information received via organizations or public relations companies.

Composers of such false reports aim at first to earn money by creating confusion and speaking in line with the interests and desires of some groups targeting certain countries. Sometimes also famous figures depend on investigative teams to conduct field work but the problem with some of these teams is that they may have stereotyped images and prejudiced views even before starting the work. Due to this they forget all reformation efforts carried out by the country to improve the labour situation and to achieve justice and equity. Many ambassadors of the labour exporting countries in Qatar spoke openly in the media about the workers situation here and they lauded the efforts carried out by the state of Qatar on legal and living conditions of the workers.

Each embassy of these countries has considerable numbers of workers in Qatar and has an attaché in charge of labour affairs. Interested agencies and human rights organizations should refer first the host country to get the required information about the workers and then refer to the embassies to check the information received as these embassies know the situation of their citizens here.

This is the safest way to get reliable information instead of taking information from hired writers or public relations companies seeking profits. The authority concerned here in Qatar mentioned that Amnesty International’s field investigative report was limited to just four companies out of more than 40 companies engaged in the renovation of the Khalifa International Stadium namely Eversendai Seven Hills Blue Bay and Al-Nakheel Landscapes.

Qatari officials have acknowledged that challenges in worker’s conditions existed during early 2015 but due to law enforcement and monitoring efforts the problems have been addressed and Seven Hills and Blue Bay were excluded from working in any future projects of the World Cup until they demonstrate that they are compliant with the standards and specifications set by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy. Perhaps companies which were excluded from working in the World Cup 2022 projects were behind some of the false information provided to Amnesty International. Officials in our country of Qatar should accept our opinion if we say that there are unintentional mistakes. I think such mistakes happen when we fail to tell the people whom we invite to attend conferences seminars and festivals held here about our efforts for the development of all sectors especially the infrastructure developments related to the facilities of FIFA World cup 2022.

I raised this issue in an article published in Al Sharq newspaper on March 25 under title of “Doha Forum for Think-tanks”. The text of the article was as follows; “We are being attacked by international media focusing on expatriate workers and their rights in the country. Do we arrange any visits by these huge number of guests we invite for the conferences to see the labour camps accommodation and worksites to let them know the reality and ask them indirectly to convey what they have seen?

Why do we not arrange a special session as part of every conference to discuss the worker’s situation in Qatar and to make the participants listen to the concerned officials from the respective embassies in Qatar? A short documentary film also should be screened showing our concerns for the rights of foreign workers.

I demand that every decision-maker in this generous country should educate the foreigners who come to Qatar to participate in the conferences about our efforts to protect human dignity for the citizens and expatriates as well in an equal way.

It common when certain countries organize conferences and forums attended by foreign participants to take the visitors on a tour to show them historical sites development projects and achievements on the ground.

Finally I would like to say that I hope officials in our country become aware about the importance of making visitors talk to their fellow citizens students and media in their respective counties about Qatari efforts to enhance human rights and maintain the dignity of expatriate workers taking apart in the development projects. This is the practical way to respond to false and biased reports being promoted by some to distort our beloved country. Allah bless it and its leadership.