an ambassador of Qatar World Cup told German television ‘ZDF’ that homosexuality was a “mental wound”, as the Gulf state prepared to host the world tournament in less than two weeks.
In an interview filmed in Doha and to be released on Tuesday, the former Qatari international Khalid Salman addresses the issue of the illegality of homosexuality in Qatar. The country is expecting more than a million visitors for the World Cup and Khalid Salman said that anyone going to Qatar for the tournament must behave according to the country’s rules.
“They have to accept our rules here,” he said, in an excerpt from the interview. “Homosexuality is haram. Do you know what haram (forbidden) means?” When asked what is haram, Khalid Salman said: “I am not a strict Muslim, but why is it haram? Because it is a mental wound.”
The interview was immediately interrupted by an accompanying officer. Reuters has contacted FIFA and World Cup organizers in Qatar for a response. Organizers have repeatedly said that everyone will be welcome in the country during the World Cup.
Homosexuality is illegal in the conservative Muslim nation and some soccer players have expressed concerns about the rights of fans traveling for the event, particularly LGBT+ people and women, rights groups say that Qatari laws discriminate against them.
Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, but the small country has come under intense pressure in recent years over its treatment of foreign workers and restrictive social laws.
Source: La Verdad
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