The announcement that France will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, heralded as the first Games to ensure complete gender parity, appears as a stride towards women’s rights. However, a closer examination may reveal underlying motivations. Historically, France’s record on minority rights, particularly concerning its Muslim population, has been controversial. Critics argue that under the guise of various noble ideals—from Christianity in the medieval era to contemporary secularism—policies that disproportionately affect Muslims could amount to what the United Nations categorizes as persecution. In this light, the progressive stance on gender equality at the Olympics could be seen as an attempt to divert attention from these deeper issues—a practice known as sportswashing.
The concept of sportswashing comes into play when a country with a concerning human rights record hosts a prominent sports event or acquires a celebrated athlete, aiming to shift the global gaze from its human rights issues. However, scrutiny of media narratives suggests that accusations of sportswashing predominantly target Arab-speaking or Muslim-majority nations when they are in the global sports spotlight—as was evident during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Contrastingly, Russia and China, despite their well-documented human rights challenges, have largely escaped this label in similar contexts. This disparity raises questions about the consistent application of the sportswashing critique across different geopolitical landscapes.
The roots of Islamophobia in France can be traced back to the medieval era, specifically to 1095 when Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont. These crusades, spanning nearly two centuries, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4 million Muslims and are often viewed as a precursor to European colonial endeavors. After the Crusades, as the Ottoman Empire expanded with the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, European powers, including France, embarked on a widespread colonial campaign. France’s colonial history is marked by numerous atrocities, particularly in Algeria. French colonization, beginning with the conquest of Algiers in 1830 and leading to the Algerian War in the mid-20th century, witnessed the tragic loss of over 3 million Algerian lives during this period.
France, along with other Western nations, often positions itself as having moved beyond the era of imperialism and colonization. However, contemporary policies towards Islam and Muslims in France suggest a pattern of actions that some interpret as persecution. In 2010, France enacted a law prohibiting face-covering garments like the niqab and burqa in public spaces. This legislation was followed by prohibitions against the hijab and abaya in public schools, and some municipalities went further, banning the burkini—a modest swimsuit for Muslim women—on beaches, leading to enforcement actions that have been criticized for violating personal rights. Additionally, there have been instances where individuals have faced accusations of radicalization for engaging in practices such as wearing traditional Islamic attire, expressing political views about the state of Israel, observing daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, or not openly supporting feminism and LGBTQ rights—issues that some claim are used by Western governments to marginalize Muslim communities.
Read the rest here: https://intpolicydigest.org/the-mirage-of-progress-why-france-is-guilty-of-sportswashing/
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I find it interesting that this hasn't made much impact within Western media with how things were in Qatar during the World Cup. The other thing is women's rights proponents tend to be very quiet here or if they do make noise about this are ignored by the media where as elsewhere they wouldn't be.
Why is it when certain nations do Sportwashing, it is ignored yet with others big things are made in the media about it?
I doubt we will see Denmark or Germany make the same gestures they did at the World Cup.
France Sportwashing Ignored
posted on 15/6/24
comment by Drunken Hobo (U7360)
posted 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyInPoland (U11181)
posted 1 hour, 5 minutes ago
Many white feminists thought it was their mission to help emancipate Muslim women and girls from a particular type of patriarchy tied to Islam. I quit the group. If Muslim women were enduring a specific form of patriarchal oppression, and really had no agency or free will when it came to wearing the hijab – a view I don’t share – how would it help them to exclude them from schools and access to emancipatory knowledge?"
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I thought similar with the burkini ban. It didn't stop any oppression, all it meant is that some Muslim girls weren't allowed to swim any more. Great job?
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Because it was never about women's right. It's about, at least with this group she was a part of, a form of racism. They think they're enlightened and anyone that doesn't adhere to their form of feminism isn't following the right type of feminism. So instead of Africans or Arabs telling the women what they can or cannot wear it is White French men and women telling these women what they can and cannot wear.
posted on 15/6/24
comment by CurrentlyInPoland (U11181)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
I didn't agree with the banning of headscarves, for balance though they also banned the wearing of visible crucifixes.
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The wearing of crucifixes isn't a religious requirement and can be hidden under clothing. It's not the same.
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There was a case where an Air France(?) employee went to court because she couldn't wear her crucifix on the outside of her blouse and she considered it as a religeous requirement.
It does come under the same unbrella.
posted on 15/6/24
A defence manufacturer sponsored dortmund
posted on 15/6/24
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyInPoland (U11181)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Boris 'Inky’ Gibson (U5901)
posted 2 hours, 50 minutes ago
I didn't agree with the banning of headscarves, for balance though they also banned the wearing of visible crucifixes.
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The wearing of crucifixes isn't a religious requirement and can be hidden under clothing. It's not the same.
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There was a case where an Air France(?) employee went to court because she couldn't wear her crucifix on the outside of her blouse and she considered it as a religeous requirement.
It does come under the same unbrella.
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Not really. It isn't a requirement according to their religion (she may have felt this, but that's not the case). Secondly she can still wear it under her clothes. With the hijab, there is no option for that. And in sport, there has been clearly a discrimination against one as you'd not be allowed to wear such jewellery due to safety concerns.
posted on 15/6/24
I'll add that she should be allowed to wear her cross on the outside. The issue is, that the government and politicians stance on laïcité over the last 15-20 years have overstepped the bounds of separation of religion and state to such a level that it does interfere with people's personal lives. It literally governs what people can and cannot wear.
posted on 15/6/24
Here is another article I found that not only mentions the hijab ban but other practices taking part in Paris, such a displace unhoused people and the Western media's double standards.
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/paris-2024-olympics-games-being-190443821.html?guccounter=1
posted on 15/6/24
"Many western athletes, commentators, news outlets and politicians were previously critical of the human rights records of countries like Azerbaijan, Russia, China and Qatar when they hosted mega sporting events. Many claimed that those governments were using sporting events to launder their human rights records.
Some even called for boycotts and bans.
Yet, that kind of criticism is rarely directed inward as well.
Researchers have previously argued that western media reports human rights abuses in the West with a tilted bias suggesting westerners are morally superior and concerned, framing issues as isolated rather than systemic.
For instance, a recent study outlines how British media portrayed English cricketer Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of racism against the Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The media narrative suggested that British society is aware of racism, accepts criticism and is ready to act.
However, the same media also portrayed Rafiq as an outsider and his allegations as isolated incidents."
posted on 15/6/24
Researchers have previously argued that western media reports human rights abuses in the West with a tilted bias suggesting westerners are morally superior and concerned, framing issues as isolated rather than systemic.
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Even your own article mentions Russia and China as escaping the sportswashing accusations without mentioning that the west is exactly the same and has escaped those accusations even on this article which is supposed to highlighted bias.
An article about bias where the writer isn't aware of their own biases. That's the norm in the west.
posted on 15/6/24
comment by The greatest thing that ever happened to human... (U1282)
posted 1 hour, 5 minutes ago
Researchers have previously argued that western media reports human rights abuses in the West with a tilted bias suggesting westerners are morally superior and concerned, framing issues as isolated rather than systemic.
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Even your own article mentions Russia and China as escaping the sportswashing accusations without mentioning that the west is exactly the same and has escaped those accusations even on this article which is supposed to highlighted bias.
An article about bias where the writer isn't aware of their own biases. That's the norm in the west.
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I've listed several different articles (see replies). Each one with different writers. Also the point on this one is about how human rights abuses within the west is reported compared to those outside it. Whereas the article you are referring to was talking specifically about Sportwashing.
posted on 16/6/24
“Why is it when certain nations do Sportwashing, it is ignored yet with others big things are made in the media about it?”
The same reason it’s ok for certain nations to bomb Muslim countries