World Cup 2022: Qatar ambassador comments on homosexuality 'harmful and unacceptable'

LGBTQ+ rights activists protested against the Qatar World Cup extracurricular Fifa's depository successful Zurich connected Tuesday

A Qatar World Cup ambassador calling homosexuality "damage successful the mind" is "harmful and unacceptable", says Human Rights Watch.

Homosexuality is amerciable successful Qatar due to the fact that it is considered immoral nether Islamic Sharia law.

Salman said: "[Homosexuality] is haram. You cognize what haram [forbidden] means?"

When asked wherefore it was haram, helium added: "I americium not a strict Muslim but wherefore is it haram? Because it is harm successful the mind."

The interview, which is portion of a documentary acceptable to beryllium broadcast connected Tuesday, was past stopped by an accompanying official.

Rasha Younes, LGBT rights elder researcher astatine Human Rights Watch, said: "Salman's proposition that same-sex attraction is 'damage successful the mind' is harmful and unacceptable.

"The nonaccomplishment of the Qatari authorities to antagonistic this mendacious accusation has a important interaction connected the lives of LGBT residents of Qatar, ranging from fuelling favoritism and unit against them to justifying subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion practices."

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There is interest astir however LGBTQ+ radical are treated successful Qatar, wherever same-sex relationships and the promotion of same-sex relationships are criminalised, with punishments ranging from fines to the decease sentence.

The big country's World Cup organisers person stated "everyone is welcome" to sojourn the state to ticker the matches and claimed no-one volition beryllium discriminated against.

However, Qatar 2022 main enforcement Nasser al Khater has said the authorities would not alteration its laws connected homosexuality, requesting visitors "respect our culture".

The Gulf State, wherever the World Cup volition instrumentality spot from 20 November to 18 December, has besides been criticised for its quality rights grounds and attraction of migrant workers.

Fifa precocious wrote to competing nations asking them to "now absorption connected the football" alternatively of the competition's arguable build-up.

The letter, which was signed by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, was criticised by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and LGBTQ+ campaigners successful England and Wales, portion 10 European shot associations - including those of England and Wales - said "human rights are cosmopolitan and use everywhere".

However, Conmebol, the South American shot confederation, says it is "time to permission controversies behind".

LGBTQ+ run radical All Out called connected Fifa to "end the soundlessness and hypocrisy" pursuing Salman's comments.

At a protestation extracurricular Fifa's depository successful Zurich, a spokesperson from All Out said: "This comes days aft All Out and others person presented grounds from LGBT+ Qataris of abduction, detention without trial, torture and conversion practices taking spot successful caller weeks.

"But Fifa president Infantino is inactive saying that everyone volition beryllium invited astatine the World Cup.

"With conscionable 2 weeks to spell until the shot starts, it is clip for Fifa to halt looking distant and instrumentality responsibility.

"It is clip for Fifa to extremity the soundlessness and hypocrisy. It is yet clip for quality rights to beryllium enactment up of greed. The satellite is watching."

Human Rights Watch precocious released a report saying that Qatari information forces are continuing to apprehension citizens who are gay, lesbian, and transgender, sometimes forcing them to acquisition conversion therapy.

Qatar's authorities has said the study contains mendacious allegations.

LGBTQ+ foundation Stonewall's manager of communications and outer affairs Robbie de Santos said quality rights were being "disregarded and disrespected".

Speaking to BBC World Service's Sport Today, helium added: "It's astonishing and disappointing the Qatar authorities person fixed assurances to the United Nations and different multilateral bodies astir respecting quality rights during the tourney and making commitments to societal progress, and what we're seeing is those commitments are not being kept connected with.

"That's wherefore it's truthful important that each of america are listening globally and pursuing the tourney and knowing that shot truly is everyone's game, that we each speak."

BBC Sport has contacted Fifa and the World Cup organising committee for comment.