Days after Qatar’s foreign minister announced that all people would be welcome in his country at the men’s World Cup, including members of the LGBTQ community, its World Cup ambassador described homosexuality as “mind damage”, “spiritual damage” and ultimately “forbidden.” “. “In the Muslim-majority emirate, no sin.
Khalid Salman, a former national player in Qatar and now the emirate’s ambassador to the World Cup, said in a documentary to be broadcast on German public radio station ZDF on Tuesday that he is having problems with children who see gay men and women because they are learning something they shouldn’t do next. .
He said, “I am not a strict Muslim, but why is it haram? It is spiritual damage.”
Excerpts from German sports journalist and TV presenter Jochen Breyer’s documentary, titled “Geheimsache Katar,” or “Secret Affairs Qatar,” were published in its newsletter on Monday.
In the video, the media officer of the Qatar World Cup Organizing Committee, who accompanied the ZDF team while they were recording the video, ended an interview after Salman referred to homosexuality as “damage to the mind”.
In another excerpt, Salman said: “During the World Cup, a lot of things will come to the country. Let’s talk about gays, for example. The most important thing is that everyone will accept that they are coming here. But they will have to accept our rules.”
Same-sex relations are prohibited in public in Qatar and can carry a sentence of up to seven years in prison. The leaders of several European nations competing in the World Cup, including Germany, France and England, are planning to wear rainbow-colored armbands during their matches as part of an anti-discrimination campaign.
Qatar has also been criticized for its human rights record and its treatment of foreign workers. Fans in stadiums across Germany waved signs over the weekend calling for a boycott of the event, including watching TV.
German Interior Minister Nancy Wieser has said she will attend the World Cup after Qatar’s prime minister gave it a “guarantee of safety” for LGBTQ fans. Weser had said earlier that Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup was “very difficult” from Berlin’s point of view, prompting Doha to summon the German ambassador amid accusations of “double standards” and “racism”.
The International Football Association (FIFA), which awards the World Cup every four years to different countries, confirmed that all fans are welcome in the World Cup in Qatar, as did the Organizing Committee of the State of Qatar. As the Emir of the Gulf state, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said recently that respect for “our culture” is to be expected.
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