Qatar World Cup ambassador faces backlash over homophobic remarks
Global News
Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman made the remarks during a TV interview that was then stopped by an accompanying official.
A Qatar World Cup ambassador has told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was “damage in the mind,” as the Gulf state prepares to host the global tournament in less than two weeks.
In an interview filmed in Doha and to be screened later on Tuesday, former Qatari international Khalid Salman addressed the issue of homosexuality, which is illegal in the conservative Muslim country.
Some soccer players have raised concerns over the rights of fans traveling to the event, especially LGBT+ individuals and women, whom rights groups say Qatari laws discriminate against.
The country expects more than one million visitors for the World Cup.
“They have to accept our rules here,” Salman said, in an excerpt of the interview. “(Homosexuality) is haram. You know what haram (forbidden) means?,” he said.
When asked why it was haram, Salman said: “I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind.”
The interview was then immediately stopped by an accompanying official. Qatar’s World Cup organizers, when contacted by Reuters, declined to comment.
World soccer’s ruling body FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
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