Proudly Muslim Qatar has taken advantage of the World Cup to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of visiting fans to change minds about Islam or even make conversions.
The Gulf emirate is the first Muslim nation to stage a football World Cup and its gas riches have endowed it with an array of grand mosques to pique the curiosity of visitors.
Canadian couple Dorinel and Clara Popa listened to the call to prayer at an Ottoman-style mosque in Doha’s Katara cultural district.
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It is known as Doha’s Blue Mosque because of the sumptuous mosaics of blue and purple tiles on the walls. A guide took the couple on a tour of the elaborate interior dominated by a giant chandelier.
Dorinel, a 54-year-old accountant, said the couple were taking a first look at Islam.
“We have a prejudice against the culture and the people” because of a lack of exposure to others, he said.
“We have some thoughts in our heads and now maybe some of them will change,” added his wife, a 52-year-old doctor.
The Qatar Guest Centre, which supervises the Blue Mosque, has brought dozens of Muslim preachers from around the world to Qatar for the tournament.
Outside the mosque, there are booklets in different languages explaining Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), along with Arabic coffee and dates.
Syrian volunteer Ziad Fateh said the World Cup is “an opportunity to introduce millions of people to Islam” and change “misconceptions” about a religion that many in the West link to radicalism.
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“We explain to people more about ethics, the importance of family bonding, and respect for neighbors and non-Muslims,” he added.
Near the mosque, volunteers managed a table aimed at visiting women with a sign saying: “Ask me about Qatar.” Those who stop are also offered Arabic coffee.
A Palestinian volunteer, Somaya, said most of the questions concerned “the veil, polygamy and whether women are oppressed in Islam”.
Qatar’s record on women’s and LGBTQ rights has been heavily scrutinized in connection with the World Cup.