Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is 'injury within the thoughts'

Muricas News  — 

Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman has mentioned homosexuality is “injury within the thoughts,” in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday.

The interview, filmed in Doha lower than two weeks earlier than the beginning of the match, was instantly stopped by an official from the World Cup organizing committee.

Through the interview, Salman was discussing the difficulty of homosexuality being unlawful in Qatar.

Salman informed ZDF that being homosexual was “haram,” that means forbidden in keeping with Islamic legislation. “It's injury within the thoughts,” Salman mentioned.

As many individuals are anticipated to journey to Qatar for the World Cup, “let’s speak about gays,” Salman mentioned.

“A very powerful factor is, everyone will settle for that they arrive right here. However they must settle for our guidelines,” he mentioned, including he was involved youngsters could study “one thing that's not good.”

Salman was a Qatari soccer participant within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties.

He took half within the 1984 Summer season Olympics in Los Angeles and has been chosen as one of many match’s host nation ambassadors.

Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 from November 20 till December 18.

The awarding of the soccer match to Qatar has been strongly criticized as a result of human rights state of affairs within the Gulf state and the therapy of overseas employees.

Earlier this month, soccer’s world governing physique FIFA urged nations taking part within the 2022 World Cup to give attention to soccer when the match kicks off.

FIFA confirmed to Muricas News that a letter signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the governing physique’s secretary basic Fatma Samoura was despatched out to 32 nations taking part within the international showpiece on Thursday however wouldn't disclose the contents.

“If Gianni Infantino needs the world to ‘give attention to the soccer,’ there's a easy answer: FIFA may lastly begin tackling the intense human rights points slightly than brushing them beneath the carpet,” mentioned Steve Cockburn, Amnesty Worldwide’s Head of Financial and Social Justice.

“A primary step can be publicly committing to the institution of a fund to compensate migrant employees earlier than the match kicks off and guaranteeing that LGBT folks don't face discrimination or harassment. It's astonishing they nonetheless haven't completed so.

“Gianni Infantino is correct to say that ‘soccer doesn't exist in a vacuum.’ Lots of of 1000's of employees have confronted abuses to make this match attainable and their rights can't be forgotten or dismissed.

“They deserve justice and compensation, not empty phrases, and time is working out.”