Winds of change in the Muslim world.

It goes to the credit of Qatar, a small country on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East, to host the World Cup. When the Federation Internationale de Football Association, the organisation that controls international football and organises the World Cup, announced in 2010 that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup, there was severe opposition to it. The criticism was mostly from countries that lost the bid to host the event. Several arguments were put forward for its unsuitability that it has no facilities for hosting the mega event. Nor does it have the experience. The weather of Qatar is too hot and unbearable and its national team has no international standing. Then there were prejudices not openly expressed as to how an Arab and Muslim country can be given the honour to host FIFA as it is considered to be the prerogative of the West and Far Eastern countries. But FIFA's president and its managing committee stood firm on their decision.

Some of the criticism that was leveled against Qatar - also applicable to several other Arab, Muslim and developing countries - is their poor record of human rights and shabby treatment of foreign workers. It again goes to the credit of the Qatar government that they undertook several corrective measures. One hopes that Qatar will not only maintain but continue to improve upon these standards in future. And as Minky Worden, director of global institutions at Human Rights Watch, stated: 'The 2022 World Cup's legacy will depend on whether Qatar remedies with FIFA the deaths and other abuses of migrant workers who built the tournament...'

The infrastructure that Qatar has built should attract other major sports and entertainment events to be held in future. Considering that the Qatar government has spent $300 billion preparing for the event, including the cost of construction. It is a staggering amount that only oil-rich kingdoms could afford. Doha now prides itself with new stadiums and hotels built to accommodate more than a million fans. It would indeed be a challenge to use and maintain these buildings once the event is over. In all probability, the Qatar government expects that the sprawling infrastructure will attract future mega and major events.

Qatar is an interesting and unique state in many ways. It has a sprawling base 20 miles southwest of capital Doha where about 11,000 US military personnel are stationed. Being a small country but with enormous wealth and strategic...