Qatar World Cup Ambassador Slammed For Homophobic Slur

A FIFA Qatar World Cup ambassador has been slammed after describing homosexuality as “damage in the mind”.

Former Qatar international footballer Khalid Salman is Qatar’s 2022 World Cup ambassador and made several homophobic comments during an interview with German broadcaster ZDF.

Trigger Warning: This story discusses homophobic comments, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.

When asked about his thoughts on homosexuality being illegal in Qatar, Salman responded, “They have to accept our rules here. [Homosexuality] is haram. You know what haram means?”

Salman described himself as “not a strict Muslim”, but continued to defend anti-gay statements. He claimed that being gay was haram “because it is damage in the mind.”

The interview clip was posted to Twitter on Tuesday, where Salman was also seen stating that visitors to the country would be accepted but would have to “accept our rules.”

Homophobic Laws In Qatar

According to LGBTIQ+ rights advocacy organisation Human Dignity Trust, same-sex sexual activity between men and between women is criminalised in Qatar. The country also interprets Sharia law where “it is technically possible for men who engage in same-sex intimacy to be sentenced to death”, though there has not been much evidence of the law being enforced in recent years.

Human Rights Watch LGBT Rights Senior Researcher Rasha Younes condemned Salman’s comments, calling them “harmful and unacceptable.”

Younes decried the failure of the Qatari government to challenge this “false information” which has had a “significant impact on the lives of LGBTQI residents of Qatar, ranging from fuelling discrimination and violence against them to justifying subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion practices.”

Germany’s interior minister spoke to the Associated Press on Tuesday, calling the comments  “terrible”.

“That is the reason why we are working on things in Qatar hopefully improving”, she said.

LGBTQI Face Harassment, Arrests

There have been reports of LGBTQI people being arrested and mistreated by Qatar officials as recently as last month. According to the Human Rights Watch group, there were six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment by officials in Qatar between 2019 and 2022.

“All were detained without charge, in one case for two months in solitary confinement, without access to legal counsel. None received any record of having been detained. These acts could constitute arbitrary detention under international human rights law”, the report read.

This report comes less than four weeks out before the country hosts the 2022 World Cup.

In March this year, 16 LGBTQ+ groups had called on Qatar to repeal the laws which targeted members of the LGBTQI community. The list of demands included guaranteeing the safety and right of entry to LGBTQI-identifying people into the country.

Around 1.2 million international visitors are expected in Qatar for the World Cup. There have been concerns raised about Qatar’s anti-LGBTQI laws and human rights record including treatment of migrant workers.