Qatar World Cup Ambassador and former Qatar international footballer Khalid Salman described homosexuality as “mental damage” in an interview with the Second Channel of German Public Television (ZDF) which, when the topic had begun to be addressed, was interrupted by the representatives of the organizing committee.
“Many things will happen in the country during the World Cup. Let’s talk about homosexuals. Everyone will accept that they come. But they will have to respect our rulesSalman said.
Salman said he mostly had problems when children saw homosexuals because, he said, homosexuality is something “haram” (prohibited by religion in Arabic) and children can learn something wrong.
Homosexuality is illegal in the emirate.
interview interrupted
“Homosexuality is mental harm,” he said, and then the interview was interrupted by the organizing committee spokesman.
The interview is part of a documentary of the ZDF entitled “Qatar. Confidential question”.
A long history of abuse
Faced with the World Cup, criticism of Qatar has risen for the human rights situation, discrimination against women and homosexuals and exploitation of foreign workers.
Over the weekend, spectator banners calling for a boycott of the Qatar 2022 World Cup were seen in several Bundesliga stadiums.
Captains of European teams such as England, France or Germany will wear bracelets with the colors of the rainbow and the message “One Love” in a campaign against discrimination.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said last week during a visit to Qatar that she will participate in the World Cup after receiving “security guarantees” for LGTBQ followers by the prime minister of the emirate.
Some German deputies accompanied the minister during the visit, but the government commissioner for human rights, Luise Amtsberg, abstained.
Faeser had previously stated that the World Cup organization in Qatar was “very delicate” from the point of view of Berlin, which led Doha to summon the German ambassador.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Bin Abdulraman Al Thani described the European criticisms of his country as “arrogant and racist” in statements to the newspaper “Frankfurter Allgemeine”.
EFE and RFI
Source: Clarin
