TIME speaks to Dr. Naser Mohamed, the first and currently only Qatari to publicly e out as gay, ahead of the World Cup.
Contents:
- OPN: DR. NASSER ‘NAS’ MOHAMED SOUGHT ASYLUM THE US AFTER G OUT AS GAY. HERE’S WHAT HE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT QATAR
- JOSH CAVALLO: ONLY OPENLY GAY TOP-FLIGHT MALE FOOTBALLER SAYS FIFA’S ‘ONELOVE’ ARMBAND BAN HAS MA HIM FEEL ‘EXCLUD’
- ‘NOBODY FEELS UNSAFE HERE’: GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO TOLD HE IS WELE AT QATAR WORLD CUP
- GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP QATAR
- GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
- DAVID BECKHAM’S ‘STAT AS A GAY IN WILL BE SHREDD’ IF HE NTU AS QATAR WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR SAYS BRISH EDIAN
OPN: DR. NASSER ‘NAS’ MOHAMED SOUGHT ASYLUM THE US AFTER G OUT AS GAY. HERE’S WHAT HE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT QATAR
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. * cnn qatar lgbt *
“It don’t matter if you’re lbian, if you’re gay, ’s for everyone. Homosexualy Qatar is illegal and punishable by up to three years prison.
But there have been mixed msag wh a World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman sayg earlier this month that homosexualy was “damage the md, ” an terview wh German broadster ZDF. He is a regular at England ternatnals and was once the victim of a homophobic asslt, he says, at Wembley four years ago, ahead of England’s match agast Spa 2018, when he had an altertn wh another fan.
JOSH CAVALLO: ONLY OPENLY GAY TOP-FLIGHT MALE FOOTBALLER SAYS FIFA’S ‘ONELOVE’ ARMBAND BAN HAS MA HIM FEEL ‘EXCLUD’
Dr. Naser Mohamed, the first proment openly gay Qatari and now activist, tells Sara Sidner about the abe he suffered and why he uldn’t stay silent faced wh the “PR and marketg” of the World Cup. * cnn qatar lgbt *
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. My beg gay sunk , of all plac, Las Vegas.
I looked up same-sex attractn and saw the terms “gay” and “homosexual. ” I began readg all about the topic and need to know if I was gay.
So, I found a gay club on the strip. And then through that work, I got to learn about some of the gay people that were still livg Qatar. The existg nversatn was about whether gay fans were gog to be OK durg the 28 days of the tournament.
‘NOBODY FEELS UNSAFE HERE’: GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO TOLD HE IS WELE AT QATAR WORLD CUP
* cnn qatar lgbt *
And so did other gay Qatari refuge who’d taken asylum the UK, Canada and across the US. Homosexualy is illegal and punished wh a fe or a prison sentence, and trans people nnot legally change genr. Acrdg to a report to state-sponsored homophobia by Lus Ramón Mendos of the human rights group ILGA World, Qatar “ns Sharia urts, where technilly is possible that Mlim men uld be put to ath for same-sex sexual behavurs.
Wh ls than a year to go before the start of the 2022 World Cup, qutns surround Qatar's handlg of humanarian issu, specifilly ncerng the state's anti-homosexualy laws.
Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman has said homosexualy is “damage the md, ” an terview wh German broadster ZDF on Monday.
GAY FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS HE WOULD BE ‘SRED’ TO PLAY AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP QATAR
Josh Cavallo, the only openly gay top-flight male soccer player the sport, has told CNN that FIFA’s cisn to ban players om wearg “OneLove” armbands at the Qatar 2022 has ma him feel “exclud.” * cnn qatar lgbt *
Durg the terview, Salman was discsg the issue of homosexualy beg illegal Qatar.
Salman told ZDF that beg gay was “haram, ” meang forbidn acrdg to Islamic law. As many people are expected to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, “let’s talk about gays, ” Salman said. Wh ls than a year to go before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, qutns surroundg host natn Qatar’s handlg of humanarian issu show few signs of abatg – specifilly ncerng the state’s anti-homosexualy laws.
Among the most recent crics of next year’s World Cup, the first to be held the Middle East, is Atralian footballer Josh Cavallo, the only current, openly gay player men’s top-flight football.
GAY ATRALIAN FOOTBALLER JOSH CAVALLO SAYS WORLD CUP SHOULDN’T BE GOG TO QATAR, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
Qatar has moved to reassure the gay Atralian footballer he should not be aaid to vis the untry, where homosexualy is illegal * cnn qatar lgbt *
Earlier this month, Cavallo said that he would be “sred” to play Qatar, where homosexualy is illegal and punishable by up to three years prison. And football is not the only sportg muny to raise ncerns about Qatar’s anti-homosexualy laws.
Al Khater acknowledged that Qatar do have a stricter approach towards public displays of affectn pared to other untri, and when prsed by CNN on the untry’s laws, Al Khater cled to say that homosexualy is illegal, sayg only that “like many untri, ” same-sex marriage is illegal Qatar. Naser Mohamed, the first proment openly gay Qatari and now activist, tells Sara Sidner about the abe he suffered and why he uldn't stay silent faced wh the "PR and marketg" of the World Cup. Speakg on homophobia the sport a lengthy statement 2021, Henrson said: “My view on this is very much the same as on any other form of discrimatn the game, whether relat to race, relig tolerance, disabily or any other.
DAVID BECKHAM’S ‘STAT AS A GAY IN WILL BE SHREDD’ IF HE NTU AS QATAR WORLD CUP AMBASSADOR SAYS BRISH EDIAN
Brish Foreign Secretary Jam Cleverly is receivg backlash for suggtg gay soccer fans should be “rpectful” Qatar when attendg the FIFA World Cup set to take place the Gulf Arab state later this year. * cnn qatar lgbt *
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.
After beg the only current, openly gay player men’s top-flight football last month, Josh Cavallo says a new terview wh the Guardian that he would be “sred” to play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar bee of the untry’s homosexualy laws. * cnn qatar lgbt *
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?
It has been almost a year sce Josh Cavallo announced he is gay, but even now he still stggl to prehend the far-reachg impact his announcement has had – pecially as he has begun to speak out on major issu, notably the Qatar World Cup. * cnn qatar lgbt *
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.