By Waeza Jagirdar

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The world cup was a beautiful experience and it’s something that should be remembered.

As an American growing up with immigrant parents, the World Cup never meant much to other people as much as it did at home. Having the World Cup in Qatar gave people a foresight of the beauty of Islam and its cultural differences. News media and the mainstream always seem to have a negative connotation with Islam and when they learned that drinking was forbidden in Qatar, the world had an uproar. Yet the World Cup in Qatar has felt like the most humane experience in a while, seeing countries supporting countries with wars and terrors. The Palestinian flag was being shown more now in the mainstream media more than ever. Iran was acknowledged for the terror that was occurring in their country. It gives people the feeling that there’s more to them than themselves and it was achieved through a ball and a game. Not even the strongest leaders around the world were able to bring this peace with the treaties, yet it’s happening through a game. Soccer has always meant more to my people because it has always been a representation of peace, something that we cease to have sometimes. It makes the ummah feel like a nation again and that we stand against it together instead of against each other. Sometimes you get lost in between everything and then forget why you began in the first place. But it’s a great reminder to know that the ummah will hold it down.