The World Cup ambassador for the Gulf nation, Khalid Salman, a former international football player for Qatar, has come under criticism for remarks he made in an interview with German television suggesting that homosexuality is a “disease in the head.”
The tournament, which is scheduled to begin on November 20, has come under fire for reports of the ongoing mistreatment of migrant workers who contributed to the construction of the stadium infrastructure needed for the event as well as the state’s position on LGBT+ issues in the highly conservative nation where homosexuality is still illegal.
Concerns over how LGBT+ people would be treated have cast doubt on Qatar’s capacity to host the event, which is expected to draw more than a million tourists from across the world, given that human rights watchdogs have said that the nation’s laws have codified discrimination.
However, Khalid Salman said in an interview with broadcaster ZDF that will appear on Tuesday that all visitors—homosexual or not—would have to abide by the law once they get in Qatar.
Salman replied, “They have to abide by our norms here. It is forbidden to be gay. You you aware of the meaning of haram (forbidden)?
“Why is it haram? I’m not a devout Muslim. Because it causes mental harm.
According to accounts, an official who had been with him during the interview ended it at this moment.
Salman’s remarks go counter to the official line of the event’s Qatari organizers, who declare that visitors from all walks of life would be welcomed there. Nevertheless, these assurances haven’t done much to allay the worries of a number of prominent personalities.
Salman’s remarks, according to Human Rights Watch’s Rasha Younes, who supervises LGBT rights, are “damaging and unacceptable.”
“It is hurtful and immoral to say that same-sex desire is ‘damage in the mind,'” she added.
“The Qatari government’s reluctance to refute this incorrect information has a substantial influence on the lives of LGBT inhabitants of Qatar, from fostering prejudice and violence against them to justifying the subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion therapies,” says the report.
Harry Kane, the captain of England, has confirmed that he would wear a rainbow-colored captain’s armband as a show of support for the LGBT+ community throughout the competition.
The Danish national team’s uniform maker, Hummel, recently unveiled what they called a “toned down” Denmark jersey to be worn during the World Cup, claiming they do not want their brand connected with the tournament.
Sepp Blatter, a former president of FIFA, reportedly stated that it was “wrong” to grant Qatar the World Cup.
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