12 days before the start of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the ambassador of the competition and former international Khalid Salman described homosexuality as “mental damage” in an interview with the German television channel ZDF that, as soon as the issue began to be addressed, was interrupted by representatives of the organizing committee.
The country will tolerate gay visitors, but “they have to accept our rules,” Salman said in the interview filmed in Qatar before the start of the championship and to be broadcast on Tuesday (08.11.2022).
He added that he found it problematic especially when children saw homosexuals because, he said, homosexuality is something “haram” (forbidden by religion in Arabic).
“Homosexuality is mental damage,” he said, during the interview that is part of the ZDF documentary titled “Qatar. Confidential matter.” Representatives of the organizing committee abruptly interrupted the talk after these comments.
Incessant criticism
The Gulf kingdom came under fire ahead of the World Cup for its human rights record, including its treatment of migrant workers and its stance on women’s and LGBTQ rights.
On the sidelines, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called Salman’s remarks “horrific.”
Over the weekend, banners of spectators calling for a boycott of the World Cup were seen in several Bundesliga stadiums.
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