An interview with the Qatar FIFA World Cup Ambassador was cut short after the official made remarks where he said that homosexuality is "damage in the mind" and that it caused "spiritual harm."
The remarks were made during an interview that was done a few days after Qatar's foreign minister said that all people would be welcome in his country for the upcoming men's World Cup, including members of the LGBTQ community. However, the World Cup ambassador said that homosexuality would ultimately lead to "haram" in the Muslim-majority emirate, which means sin.
Homosexuality is "Damage in the Mind"
During a documentary that was scheduled to be broadcast on German public broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday, a former national player for Qatar and now the World Cup ambassador, Khalid Salman, said that he had issues with children seeing gay men and women because they would learn something that they should never learn.
Salman said, "I'm not a strict Muslim. But why is it haram? It's spiritual harm," referring to homosexuality. On its Monday news bulletin, ZDF pre-released excerpts from the documentary by German sports journalist and TV presenter Jochen Breyer, as per DW News.
In the video footage, the media officer of the Qatar World Cup organizing committee, ended an interview right after Salman made the comments about homosexuality. The ambassador, in another excerpt, said that during the World Cup, a lot of things will come into the country, including gays. He argued that they were welcome but argued that they should accept the country's rules.
In Qatar, homosexual acts are forbidden and can be punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment. As part of the anti-discrimination campaign, the captains of several European countries who are competing in the World Cup, including Germany, France, and England, are planning to wear armbands in rainbow colors during their games.
According to Yahoo Sports, Salman's remarks come as Qatar has come under sustained fire over its human rights record prior to the World Cup. This includes the country's treatment of foreign workers and its stance on women's and LGBTQ rights.
LGBTQ Rights
In a statement on Tuesday, Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the Qatar World Cup ambassador's comments "awful." The official added that the situation was also the reason why they were working to hopefully improve the environment in Qatar in the future.
Last week, Faeser, who is also Germany's minister for sport, said during a visit to Qatar that she would attend the World Cup after she was given a "guarantee of safety" for LGBTQ fans by Qatar's prime minister. She added that on Tuesday, there had been no new indications from the prime minister that anything has changed.
Salman's remarks immediately drew ire from senior LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch Rasha Younes, who called the ambassador's comments "harmful and unacceptable." She tweeted that the Qatari government's failure to counter such false information had a significant impact on the lives of Qatar's LGBTQ residents.
The situation also comes as the awarding of the football tournament to Qatar has been met with strong criticism over the human rights situation in the Gulf nation. FIFA, the football world's governing body, urged nations earlier this month to focus on the game when the tournament kicks off, CNN reported.
