The United Arab Emirates deems itself as the
epitome of modernity among the largely conservative Islamic nations of
the Gulf region. It brags about tolerating a cosmopolitan culture and
society that is intolerant towards racism and boasts of a fresh
industrial revolution which has resulted in an influx of skyscrapers; a
ubiquitous sight in the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This roaring
success is largely seen as a welcome change in an otherwise turbulent
and chaotic region. But looks can be deceptive and the UAE has been
successful in camouflaging its ugly, dark and radical face.
The
good-boy image of the UAE was shred to bits last week when Dan Mori, an
Israeli footballer playing for Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, was denied
entry to the Gulf state. In fact, the UAE has issued a ban on anyone
carrying an Israeli passport. It is as a result of their strong support
for a Palestinian state and a venomous hatred towards anything that has a
touch of Israel in it. Boycotting a country for a good cause seems
reasonable, it is absurd in the case of Israel, but persecuting
innocents on the basis of their nationality is deplorable. Last year,
Itay Shechter, also an Israeli footballer, was banned from the UAE. He
was left out of the Swansea squad which was gearing up for a friendly in
the country.
Israeli football has suffered miserably due to
a unique brand of racism that exists, even today, in many Arab
countries. Israel was a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
from 1954 to 1974 and it was a force to reckon with. Israel won the
1964 Asian championship and was twice finalist. But the watershed moment
in Israel’s footballing history was its qualification for 1970 FIFA
World Cup. It was pitted against the heavyweights of football, Italy and
Uruguay. Israel managed to secure two points after draws with Italy and
Sweden. In 1974, Israel was expelled from AFC and spent the next 21
years as a wandering pariah. In 1994, two decades of torpor culminated
in the Israel national football team getting full membership in Europe.
This also meant that Israeli football would find it difficult to cope
with the dominant powers of European football. But Israel has defied
logic and has adapted to the ways of European football. It has failed to
qualify for this year’s World Cup but its overall performance in the
qualifying stage has provided renewed hope.
This feeling of animosity towards Israel is a
common feature among many Arab and several other predominantly Islamic
nations. While they maintain that they are actually boycotting Israel
because of the ‘barbaric’ treatment of the Palestinians; the truth is
that an air of antisemitism pervades the very fabric of these states.
The worst part is that they tend to ignore the faults of the
Palestinians and turn a Nelson’s eye to acts of violence and brutality
being perpetrated around many corners of the globe.
The case of India and Pakistan is an
interesting one. The two neighbouring countries began their hostilities
ever since their independence in 1947. Both the countries claim Kashmir
and India was hit by a wave of terrorism some two decades ago which is
very much alive today. They have fought four brutal wars and skirmishes
between the two neighbors are quite common. Tensions may exist at the
diplomatic level but that does not mean that Indians are barred from
entering Pakistan and vice-versa. Both the countries frequently battle
it out in the cricket field, which evokes a chauvinistic fervor among
both sides. Cricket matches are also used as a means of conflict
resolution between India and Pakistan.
But even Pakistan harbors a deep-rooted
abhorrence of Israel. There are, virtually, no diplomatic relations
between Israel and Pakistan. Pakistan has also imposed strict
restrictions on Israeli passports. The Pakistani attitude towards Israel
underscores its great hypocrisy. The same applies to the case of the
UAE and the rest of the racist bandwagon.
This blind hatred of Israel is simply
nauseating. It becomes even more outrageous when the United Nations fail
to condemn this growing display of antisemitism. The UN is quick to
condemn Israel’s retaliatory strikes on terrorist hot-spots but why does
the international organization which preaches peace fail to take action
against this incessant racism. Serious questions need to be raised
about the UN’s indifferent attitude towards Israel.
The ban imposed on Dan Mori is not the first
instance of discrimination against Israeli citizens. In 2011, Yossi
Benayoun, probably Israel’s greatest footballer, was racially abused in
Malaysia. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, an Iranian athlete withdrew
from a Judo match because his opponent was from Israel.
Israel is the only country in the world which
faces such widespread discrimination. The Palestinian cause is only an
excuse used to justify this hatred but the truth is that this hatred of
Jews existed even before Israel was born. Boycotts and racial taunts are
only new found methods of expressing their hatred.
