A senior employee at a leading Qatari sports academy posted a homophobic video on social media ahead of the World Cup, it can be revealed.
Aspire Academy prides itself on its ability to “exert an unparalleled positive influence”, but a senior figure there posted a video on Instagram about “methods to protect children from the ideas of homosexuality”.
In the clip, Salah Al-Yafei – who has 60,000 followers on Instagram, where he bills himself as an “Educational Consultant” – says that God “didn’t create Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve”.
During the footage – which at one stage featured a picture of an LGBT+ rainbow flag with a red line through it – Mr Al-Yafei said: “Faced with open promotion of homosexuality, the disapproval in your expression and demeanour has a big impact on children, as it conveys the message to them indirectly that this is something that is deviant and that we shouldn’t accept it.”
Next to the 11-minute video, Mr Al-Yafei posted: “Ten methods to protect children from the ideas of homosexuality”.
The video was removed after The Independent approached Meta, which owns Instagram, for comment. A Meta spokesperson said: “We’ve removed the post brought to our attention for breaking our rules.”
In February, Mr Al-Yafei was quoted on Aspire Academy’s website as “Head of LDP” (the leadership development programme).
In March 2017, he was also quoted on the academy’s website, this time being referred to as “Leadership Training Officer”. He was referred to as both “Salah Al-Yafi” and “Salah Al-Yafei”.
Human rights concerns have repeatedly been raised about the Gulf state, where male homosexuality is illegal. Dr Nas Mohamed, a US-based Qatari physician who came out publicly as gay in May this year, told The Independent: “This video is reflective of the aggressive censorship of LGBT visibility, and also implies the severe persecution LGBT people experience in Qatar.
“It is also reflective of the absolutely poor education and awareness Qataris have about what it actually means to be an LGBT individual.
“Al-Yafei needs to know that I went through all of the isolation and rejection tactics he describes growing up in Qatar. It did not stop me from being an LGBT person. It was just mentally abusive towards me.”
Founded in 2004, the Doha-based Aspire Academy presents itself as the country’s factory for sporting talent. David Beckham – an ambassador for the World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar next month – visited the academy in March, when he said that “to see Aspire Academy and the amazing facilities it offers is very special”.
Earlier this month, the former England captain praised the academy at an event. “You only have to look at Aspire. That’s a legacy,” he said, according to quotes published on the academy’s website about its “Global Summit”. Beckham added: “When you look at Qatar’s team, it’s young, vibrant, and many of them have come from the Aspire Academy – and that means something.” Beckham’s former England teammate Gary Neville also visited the academy for a recent documentary.
There is no suggestion that either Beckham or Neville agrees with the views expressed by Mr Al-Yafei in the Instagram video.
Speaking in Arabic in the video, which was posted in June and has been watched more than 14,000 times, Mr Al-Yafei said: “I’ve prepared some ideas which I wanted to discuss with you on the topic of homosexuality and on the innate deviation that is taking place among human beings. They are daring to say this matter is normalised in such a way as to make you doubt yourself.”
He added: “Cartoon characters appear on Netflix and Disney. They are all a part of this soft power that act as droplets of water falling on rocks, drop after drop, until they are destroyed.
“The continuous use of soft power, even on the subconscious, leads to a normalisation of this idea in the younger generation that ‘these are people from among us – why would we refuse them? – we see them in cartoons, they play the role of heroes’.”
Mr Al-Yafei also spoke about “methods we can use to support our children and protect them with the help of God from this wave, this rising tide that is finding its way through mobiles, televisions and social media platforms”.
Later in the video, he added: “The fifth approach is to express your disapproval. Faced with open promotion of homosexuality, the disapproval in your expression and demeanour has a big impact on children, as it conveys the message to them indirectly that this is something that is deviant and that we shouldn’t accept it, because the innate nature does not feel at ease with these notions.
“This, of course, does not mean that we should do away with civility or engage in persecution or oppression of others. No. We are only seeking to protect our children from these matters.”
In a recent documentary fronted by Neville, the former footballer visited Qatar ahead of the World Cup. The video, titled Gary Neville’s Countdown to Qatar, features him interviewing ex-Everton player Tim Cahill, who is chief sports officer at Aspire Academy.
Aspire Academy, Mr Al-Yafei, the State of Qatar, a representative for Beckham and a representative for Neville have all been contacted for comment. Mr Al-Yafei’s Instagram profile has since been changed to remove a reference to him working at Aspire Academy.
