TIME speaks to Dr. Naser Mohamed, the first and currently only Qatari to publicly e out as gay, ahead of the World Cup.
Contents:
- BEG GAY DOHA
- 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 DOHA TRAVEL GUI
- WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND QATARI
- GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP
BEG GAY DOHA
Qatar’s laws agast gay sex and treatment of LGBTQ people are flashpots ahead of the first FIFA World Cup soccer petn to be held the Middle East. * tem gay no qatar *
Some have been mullg whether to attend the tournament, or even watch on ’s laws agast gay sex and treatment of LGBTQ people are flashpots the n-up to the first World Cup to be held the Middle East, or any Arab or Mlim untry.
Wh his untry facg cricism over a number of issu, Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim b Hamad Al Thani, recently argued “has been subjected to an unprecented mpaign” that no host untry has ever ambassador for the World Cup Qatar, however, has scribed homosexualy as a “damage the md” an terview wh German public broadster ZDF. Aired this week, the ments by former Qatari natnal team player Khalid Salman highlighted ncerns about the nservative untry’s treatment of gays and LGBTQ rights activists are seizg the moment to draw attentn, wh a heightened sense of urgency, to the ndns of LGBTQ cizens and rints Qatar. Recently, he jumped at the opportuny to lobby for a human rights ngrs hosted by the German soccer feratn Frankfurt, Mn told the Qatari ambassador to Germany that Qatar should abolish s penalti for homosexualy.
“I happen to be a gay football fan and I thought that this is a great opportuny to … speak ont of such a high reprentative, to nnect the topic wh a face, ” Mn said an Youn, LGBTQ rights senr rearcher the Middle East and North Ai at Human Rights Watch, said that while Qatari officials have offered some reassuranc for LGBTQ fans, the possibily of stigma and discrimatn remaed hog, accs to health re and safely reportg potential sexual the same time, she argued, “suggtns that Qatar should make an exceptn for outsirs are implic remrs that Qatari thori do not believe that s LGBT rints serve basic rights or exist, ” addg her anizatn was ncerned about ndns for lol LGBTQ people, cludg after the law lls for a prison sentence of one to three years for whoever is “stigatg” or “scg” a male to “m sodomy, ” as well as for “ducg or scg a male or a female any way to m illegal or immoral actns. Nasser Mohamed, an openly gay Qatari activist who now liv the Uned Stat, is among those sayg that ternatnal attentn is disproportnately foced on visors and not enough on LGBTQ people Qatar.
OPN: DR. NASSER ‘NAS’ MOHAMED SOUGHT ASYLUM THE US AFTER G OUT AS GAY. HERE’S WHAT HE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT QATAR
* tem gay no qatar *
The officials did not addrs or intify any specific issue their msage, which angered some human rights soccer-crazy Argenta, Juan Pablo Moro, print of the group Gays Passnate About Soccer said he was dismayed by FIFA’s cisn to anize the World Cup Qatar.
GAY DOHA TRAVEL GUI
Dr. Nasser “Nas” Mohamed is said to be the first gay Qatari to e out publicly. He did to raise awarens about the existence and mistreatment of LGBTQ people Qatar before the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “Our voic and our journeys matter,” he says. * tem gay no qatar *
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? 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.
WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE GAY AND QATARI
A group of Arab iends livg Qatar's pal Doha met up over cktails and snacks last week, exchangg opns as they flicked through profil of gay men on datg apps Tr and Grdr. * tem gay no qatar *
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.
GAY PEOPLE LIVG UNR RADAR QATAR PREPARE WARILY FOR WORLD CUP
Bee you uld be harmed, you n be gay bashed, you n be beaten, and people may not be able to help you.