Qatar’s homophobia from ‘another millennium’ – DW – 11/09/2022

Leon Goretzka, the midfielder of the German national team and Bayern Munich, criticized Qatar’s homophobic comments. World Championship ambassador, saying they were “oppressive” and “from another millennium.”

Former Qatari soccer player Khalid Salman said in a documentary aired on German public broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday that he has a problem with children seeing gay men and women because they might learn something they shouldn’t. and “mental damage”.

After the victory of “Bavaria” over “Werder” in the Bundesliga on Tuesday evening, Goretzka said:

The 27-year-old has often stood out as One of the most outspoken and socially aware players in the Bundesligafor example, starting the “We Kick Corona” campaign with teammate Joshua Kimmich during the pandemic.

Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic also expressed his displeasure with Salman’s comments, but refused to be drawn into the debate over the club’s long-term sponsorship ties with Qatar Airways.

“It is a statement of an individual,” Salihamidzic said. “Obviously we need to talk about it, but first and foremost it’s a personality and that’s unacceptable.”

Die-hard Bayern supporters, who have long criticized the club’s business dealings with Qatar, also held up banners protesting Salman’s comments during Tuesday’s win.

Ambassador of Qatar World Cup. homosexuality is “haram”.

Salman’s comments came days after Qatar’s foreign minister insisted that all people would be welcome to attend the World Cup in his country, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.

But the official World Cup ambassador’s labeling of homosexuality as “haram” – a sin in the Muslim-majority emirate – took a markedly different tone.

“I am not a strict Muslim. “But why is it haram? It is spiritual harm.”

Excerpts from a documentary by German sports journalist and broadcaster Jochen Breuer, titled “Geheimsache Katar” or “Secret Affairs Qatar,” were previewed by ZDF in its Monday news bulletin.

In the footage released, a press officer for Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee, who accompanied the ZDF team on the video shoot, ended the interview just after Salman called homosexuality “mind damage”.

In another part, Salman said: “A lot will come to the country during the World Cup. Let’s talk about gays for example. The most important thing is that everyone accepts that they are coming here. But they will have to. accept our rules.”

Diplomatic dispute

In Qatar, homosexuality is prohibited in public placesand is punishable by up to seven years in prison. The captains of several European countries participating in the World Cup, including Germany, France and England, plan to wear rainbow armbands during their matches as part of an anti-discrimination campaign.

Qatar has also been criticized for its human rights record and for this treatment of foreign workers. Fans at stadiums across Germany waved banners over the weekend calling for a boycott of the event, including on television.

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Feiser has said she will attend the World Cup after Qatar’s prime minister secured a “security guarantee” for LGBTQ fans. Feiser previously said Qatar’s hosting of the World Cup was “very difficult” from Berlin’s perspective, prompting Doha to summon the German ambassador. accusations of “double standards” and “racism”.

FIFA, which awards the World Cup tournament to different countries every four years, has stressed that all fans are welcome to attend the World Cup in Qatar, as is Qatar’s organizing committee. The emir of the Persian Gulf country, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, also recently said that respect for “our culture” is expected.

Edited by Matt Ford