A warning has been issued by the first openly-gay Qatari man ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The men's Fifa World Cup is soon set to take place in the host nation of Qatar, a country that has come under immense scrutiny from nations across the world due to its views and alleged ill-treatment towards LGBT+ people, including claims of rape and violence.
Critics include Qatar's first openly gay man, Dr Nas Mohamed. The physician made headlines in summer when he became the first Qatari national to come out publicly. Dr Mohamed is currently living over in the United States and has used social media to speak out against the current laws that he says are damaging to LGBT+ people in Qatar and the Middle East.
Recently, he helped compile a report with Human Rights Watch which gathered first hand claims from LGBT+ people as recently as September this year who allege they have experienced abuse and sexual assault by police. Talking to PinkNews, Dr Mohamed said that there was a lack of visibility in the country and accused officials of "sportswashing".
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“I think there’s some real opportunity here to bring visibility and extend help to people like us. [The World Cup] was going to really bury us this year in the shadows and that was going to be really dangerous," he said.
“I feel like we’re going to be at least seen and that we are going to have a platform with our own voice, with actual evidence-based reporting so that there isn’t this massive confusion that we’re seeing everywhere right now about what’s going on. We just need an accurate voice."
Dr Mohamed claims that the World Cup, which kicks off on November 20, showcases a different reality to what Qatar really is for a lot of LGBT+ people. He added: “What’s going on is that they’re bringing power – like people with big platforms – to project an image that is quite different from the reality that we live in Qatar."
Foreign minister for Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani responded to the criticism of Qatar's human rights concerns by saying the negative media coverage was "misinformation".
Talking to Sky News, he said: "In the country we are welcoming everybody, we are not discriminating anyone and we have been saying this repeatedly - that everybody is welcome, we would like to invite everyone to come and to enjoy the football and to enjoy the facilities and the celebration.
"All what we are asking for, we have our cultural norms, we have our society and what they like and what they don't like. We are not going to change the society for four week's event yet we are respecting everyone and expecting for everyone to respect our laws."
When asked about the criticism received from other nations taking part, the foreign minister added: "Preaching from a distance is not a solution. Calling to boycott the World Cup, or those who are not coming to the World Cup, it's their decision at the end of the day, but why deprive the people and the public from attending and enjoying the World Cup."
However in a conversation with inews, a gay man from the Philippines who worked in Qatar as an office assistant claimed he was gang-raped by police after being lured to a hotel. Led to the room after he received a message on a gay dating app from a man claiming to be a Turkish worker, he alleged that six men who identified themselves as Qatari police brutally attacked, and raped him, the Mirror reports.
“I really wanted to jump [out of] the window but I can’t, it’s too high and I’m already cornered inside the room. They catch me and threw me on the bed. They started to rape me," he claimed. "I slept in the jail for one night and when I woke up, they took me to the deportation centre. There I waited for two days to receive my passport and ticket to go back to the Philippines. They cancelled all my papers."
According to Sky News, England and Wales will continue to show their solidarity to LGBT+ people during the World Cup, ignoring pleas from FIFA to just "focus on football." In a letter to the 32 nations competing in the Qatar World Cup, president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura said: “We know football does not live in a vacuum, and we are equally aware that there are many challenges and difficulties of a political nature all around the world. But please do not allow football to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.”
In response to Qatar's anti-LGBT+ laws, Wales, England and six other nations are set for their captains to wear a "OneLove" rainbow armband to show their solidarity to the community. LGBT+ visitors will be welcome according to tournament officials, but the country's laws have deterred fans from Wales and around the world on travelling.
Wales fan James Brinning said he was concerned that Qatar was the host of this year's World Cup. He said: "I was so excited about us qualifying, it was a dream come true. I didn't really think ahead of worrying where the World Cup would be because of my sexuality. We've seen [footballer] Jake Daniels come out recently and there were tweets by FIFA about Pride Month recently and the whole football world came together.
"In the same year though they've given the World Cup to a country where you can face the death penalty for being gay. Obviously if [Jake Daniels] were to go and try and stay in a hotel room with his partner, he probably couldn't be able to do that. It's bonkers. And it's not just the LGBT+ rights, there's huge issues involving human rights. People have died constructing the stadiums. There's just loads of concerns, really."
Tracey Brown of Wales' official LGBTQ+ supporters group Rainbow Wall said earlier this year that she would not be attending the tournament. "If it was anywhere else in the world I would be thinking: 'I want to be there supporting'. But I'm going to be sat at home watching us play because I don't feel safe to go.
"Just saying it's safe while a competition is on doesn't seem right. So FIFA said you're safe to be yourself for a period of the World Cup, but when I leave there's still an LGBTQ+ community who pretty much live in hiding. They're not safe and I have to stand by my values. I want to go to a country where I feel safe and welcome all the time."
In response to criticism, a FIFA spokesperson told NBC news: “FIFA is confident that all necessary measures will be in place for LGBTIQ+ fans and allies to enjoy the tournament in a welcoming and safe environment, just as for everyone else.”
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