Days after Qatar’s foreign minister said all people would be welcome to his country for the upcoming men’s World Cup, including members of the LGBTQ community, its World Cup ambassador has labeled homosexuality “damage in the mind,” “spiritual harm” and ultimately “haram” in the Muslim-majority emirate, meaning a sin.
Khalid Salman, a former national player for Qatar and now the emirate’s World Cup ambassador, said in a documentary to be broadcast on German public broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday that he has problems with children seeing gay men and women because they then learn something they should not.
“I’m not a strict Muslim,” he said, “But why is it haram? It’s spiritual harm.”
Excerpts from the documentary by German sports journalist and TV presenter Jochen Breyer, titled “Geheimsache Katar” or “Secret Affairs Qatar,” were prereleased by ZDF on its Monday news bulletin.
In the release footage, the media officer of the Qatar World Cup organizing committee, who accompanied the ZDF team during its video recording, ended an interview just after Salman referred to homosexuality as “damage in the mind.”
In another excerpt, Salman said: “During the World Cup, a lot of things will come into the country. Let’s talk about gays, for example. The most important thing is that everyone will accept that they come here. But they will have to accept our rules.”
Homosexual acts in public are forbidden in Qatar and can be punished by up to seven years in prison. The captains of several European countries competing in the World Cup, including Germany, France and England, plan to wear armbands in rainbow colors during their matches as part of an anti-discrimination campaign.
Qatar has also come under criticism for its human rights record and its treatment of foreign workers. Fans in stadiums across Germany waved banners over the weekend calling for a boycott of the event, including television viewing.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has said she will attend the World Cup after being given a “guarantee of safety” for LGBTQ fans by Qatar’s prime minister. Faeser had previously said Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup was “very tricky” from Berlin’s perspective, prompting Doha to summon the German ambassador amid accusations of “double standards” and “racism.”
FIFA, which awards the World Cup tournament to different countries every four years, has stressed that all fans are welcome at the World Cup in Qatar, as has the Qatar organzing committee. The Emir of the Gulf state, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, has also said recently that respect for “our culture” is expected.
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