Opn: Dr. Nasser 'Nas' Mohamed sought asylum the US after g out as gay. Here's what he wants people to know about Qatar | CNN

Contents:

• GAY QATARIS PHYSILLY ABED THEN RECED AS AGENTS, MPAIGNER SAYS
• OPN: DR. NASSER ‘NAS’ MOHAMED SOUGHT ASYLUM THE US AFTER G OUT AS GAY. HERE’S WHAT HE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT QATAR
• GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP

GAY QATARIS PHYSILLY ABED THEN RECED AS AGENTS, MPAIGNER SAYS

Gay Qataris have been promised safety om physil torture exchange for helpg the thori to track down other LGBTQ+ people the untry, a proment Qatari doctor and gay rights mpaigner has told the Nasser Mohamed, who liv the US but retas ntact wh hundreds of gay Qataris, said that some secret works had been promised after arrts by Qatar’s preventive secury partment. “A lot [of gay Qataris] don’t know about each other, ” Mohamed said. “Now there are agents the gay muny that were promised safety om physil torture exchange for workg for the preventive secury partment and helpg them fd groups of LGBTQ+ people.

”Mohamed told the Guardian that foreign gay fans Qatar would not be persecuted while at the World Cup fals tournament. ”Last month Human Rights Watch reported that Qatar’s preventive secury partment forc had arbrarily arrted lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people and subjected them to ill‑treatment tentn. As the first and currently only Qatari to publicly e out as gay, Mohamed­—a doctor who has lived the U.

But given homosexualy is crimalized Qatar, he is likely to rema s only member for the foreeable future. In the months sce, Mohamed lnched the non-prof Alwan Foundatn to advance LGBTQ+ rights across the Middle East and pecially Qatar, where he says that secury operativ filtrate gay muni orr to torture and erce members to rm on others. TIME: As a gay Qatari, do you feel that hostg the World Cup n brg change?

OPN: DR. NASSER ‘NAS’ MOHAMED SOUGHT ASYLUM THE US AFTER G OUT AS GAY. HERE’S WHAT HE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT QATAR

Is there an unrground gay scene or is that too dangero? There are some people om really affluent fai that are gay and ’s almost public knowledge—but they’re really wealthy, affluent, and very nnected, so people jt don’t say anythg. But even the most powerful gay [person] Qatar is powerls some ways.

They uld gaybash and get away wh wh no nsequenc at all. And if such an attack happens on a gay fan, I don’t know of the [secury] rourc to help them. Bee you uld be harmed, you n be gay bashed, you n be beaten, and people may not be able to help you.

GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP

Nasser “Nas” Mohamed appeared The Inpennt and on the BBC, where he beme what many lled the first Qatari to e out publicly as gay. Based on the terpretatn of the law Qatar, the way is wrten, technilly allows punishment up to the ath penalty for homosexual relatnships between men, based on Sharia law. When did you accept or fully unrstand that you were gay?

My beg gay sunk , of all plac, Las Vegas. I looked up same-sex attractn and saw the terms “gay” and “homosexual.