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World Watch Monitor
World News

Christian migrant workers hit out at World Cup conditions

Believers are among the hundreds of thousands of labourers, largely from Asian countries, who have flocked to the small Arabian Peninsula nation for work, ahead of the football tournament in five years time.

Samuel, a Christian migrant, told World Watch Monitor: "In this Muslim country, we are limited in evangelising too openly.

"But nobody can stop us from talking to our fellow workers and witnessing to them in our everyday lives. Every day,

"God gives us opportunities to show His love to others."

World Watch Monitor

Believers wanting to meet freely for prayer, worship and fellowship in Qatar must go to an officially-designated complex 10km away from the capital Doha.

Qatar has been ranked 20th on Open Doors' 2017 World Watch List of 50 countries where being a Christian is hardest.

Meanwhile, the country has been heavily criticised by the human rights charity Amnesty International over its treatment of World Cup labourers.

The organisation has branded the competition the "World Cup of Shame", alleging some workers on construction projects have been "exploited" and even subjected to "forced labour".

Simon, a Christian from Sri Lanka working as a maintenance supervisor told World Watch Monitor: "The media here is all censored, so it's not in the newspapers, but we often hear about labourers committing suicide.

"Many of them get depressed and see no other option than to take their own life."

He went on to say conditions for migrant workers have improved in recent years but "they still suffer, especially in summer when temperatures easily reach over 50 degrees Celsius, and they still have to work their eleven-hour shifts."

Many of the labourers working to ensure Qatar's six state-of-the-art stadiums are ready for the 2022 FIFA World Cup come for India, Nepal and the Philippines.

They typically earn slightly more than $400 per month - plus bed and board - however, many live in crowded accommodation.

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