FIFA soccer match spurs ongoing debate on social media over gay rights

Mayor Ameer Ghalib came under criticism on his Facebook page for allowing what some called offensive comments made by others to be posted.

By Charles Sercombe
The debate over gay rights continues in Hamtramck.
The issue first arose last July with the city’s new all-Muslim mayor and city council. A controversy arose over the display of a pride flag on a city-owned Jos. Campau flagpole.
Pushback to the flag came mostly from the city’s Muslim community. While the flag was allowed to remain, there has been simmering tension over LGBTQ rights in the city on Hamtramck-based social media.
The issue came up again recently when Mayor Amer Ghalib criticized the German soccer team for protesting against the government of Qatar.
That country has been hosting the FIFA Men’s World Cup soccer games.
Qatar has been accused by Human Rights Watch of harassing, abusing and arresting LGBTQ folks.
Players on the German national team covered their mouths before a match, in protest of FIFA and Qatar banning an arm band that read “One Love” from being worn by the players.
Ghalib, on his Facebook page, criticized those who disagree with Qatar’s customs and laws.
“Once you bring politics into sports, and act as a victim that was deprived freedom of speech in a country that differs than yours culturally and religiously, with putting no respect to those differences, then you are simply looking for trouble!” Ghalib said.
His comment unleashed a number of comments, both against homosexuality and in support of gay rights.
One person, Fares Alhalemi, called homosexuality a “dangerous disease that they are determined to support and promote it in every way.”
Others took the mayor to task.
“It’s disappointing, Mr. Mayor, to see you let the bigots run wild in your comments — especially since you mentioned ‘Unity’ in your campaign, at least in mixed company,” said Aleksandra Nowak.
“Why not use this role to unite all the members of the community — not just certain, familiar ones?”
Ghalib countered, saying it’s a matter of respecting other countries’ beliefs.
“Now that the German national team and its government have challenged the values, beliefs and culture of the championship host country, which agrees with these values and beliefs and is supported by more than two billion people around the world, there appears to be a clear decline in the popularity of this team …” Ghalib said.
As for some of the comments made on his Facebook page, Ghalib said he allows them because he believes in freedom of speech.
“I’m not a morality police to teach people what and what not to say,” he said.
The intersection of sports and politics has a long history of teams and athletes speaking out on various issues during sporting events.
Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in protest to police abuse of African-Americans is only the latest example.
One of the most notable protests happened in the 1968 World Olympics, during a medal ceremony, when African-American athletes raise their gloved fists to protest human rights abuses.
In one of the boldest moves, former President Jimmy Carter said the Unites States Olympic teams would not participate in the 1980 games being held in Moscow.
That was in protest to the former Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, and refusal to pull their troops out.
Posted Dec. 9, 2022