A Qatari ambassador for the Mondial-2022 qualifies homosexuality as "mental damage", Berlin condemns
Demonstrators kiss while holding a soccer ball during a rally to raise awareness about the human rights situation of LGBTQ people in Qatar and the responsibility of FIFA, in Zurich, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. AP - Michael Buholzer
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Will gay football fans feel safe in Qatar during the World Cup which begins on November 20?
The emir, Sheikh Tamim ben Hamad al-Thani, had indeed assured that all supporters would be welcomed "
without discrimination
".
But doubt is allowed.
The homophobic remarks of an ambassador responsible for promoting the 2022 World Cup sparked the debate in Germany.
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Comfortably seated on a terrace, in conversation with a journalist from the German television channel ZDF, Khalid Salman says it without the slightest embarrassment: homosexuality is "haram", therefore prohibited by the Koran, because "
it is mental damage
".
These words caused a stir in Germany.
The reaction of the Minister of the Interior and Sports, Nancy Faeser, is without appeal: “
Of course, such statements are horrible.
This is why we are working for change in Qatar.
»
The Social Democrat had however returned reassured from a visit to Qatar last week.
Today, Nancy Faeser still wants to believe that the safety of all spectators is guaranteed.
Including for football fans from the LGBT+ community.
These safety guarantees are essential for me.
I got them from the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary, and I have no new indications that anything has changed.
Will Nancy Faeser be in the stands for Germany's first match against Japan on November 23, despite the World Cup ambassador's homophobic remarks?
For the time being, the minister has not canceled her visit.
►Read also: Qatar: a subsidiary of Vinci soon to be indicted for "trafficking in human beings" and "forced labor"?
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Soccer
LGBT+
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
Germany