November 4th 2023.
Dr Nas Mohamed, the first openly gay Qatari with a global profile, has used his platform to speak out against homophobia and hypocrisy in world football. This week, when Saudi Arabia became FIFA's only applicant for the 2034 World Cup in a fast-tracked bidding process, Dr Nas reacted with dismay.
“I’m beyond disappointed and defeated but we won’t give up,” he said. “Since I started my campaign and formed the Alwan Foundation, the most prominent LGBTQ+ person from Saudi Arabia left and joined me here in San Francisco. They have a very powerful voice in Arabic platforms. They were in prison in Saudi Arabia for a year for their opinions asking for equality. Now they are here to take asylum. This is the type of hypocrisy we have to stand up against. Football no longer feels like it belongs to everyone.”
Dr Nas is fighting persecution and intolerance with visibility after finding sanctuary in the US. Earlier this year, he wore a mixture of traditional Arabian dress and risqué party gear for San Francisco Pride, where he was voted as a community grand marshal. He received thousands of death threats for posting pictures of this outfit to his social media channels.
"It was an unapologetic expression of my background and identity," he said. "Some felt really liberated to see it, some saw it as a form of art, many saw it as a threat. Free expression is not a threat. Giving some humans equal rights and freedom does not take freedom away from the rest."
Dr Nas has also criticised the decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he believes that visibility, as opposed to speaking from the shadows, is his best shield against hate and homophobia. He has now been appointed to the executive board of San Francisco Pride for the next four years, and he will continue to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the Gulf region.
LGBTQ+ sexual relations are illegal in Saudi Arabia and can be subject to ‘severe penalties’, according to the British government. Amnesty International has accused FIFA of disregarding Saudi Arabia's human rights record without consideration of freedom of expression, discrimination or workers’ rights. Dr Nas believes that giving an authoritarian regime such as Saudi Arabia a platform for the World Cup gives the illusion of freedom and free speech.
"I oppose giving such a platform," he said. "It gives the illusion of freedom and free speech. I got the most number of death threats this year when I served as a grand marshal at San Francisco Pride, they numbered in the thousands. But I won’t be silenced. I am now serving on the executive board of San Francisco Pride for the next four years."
In May, the website of the Saudi Tourism Authority appeared to say that LGBTQ+ travellers were welcome to visit, but Amnesty International has said that this is not enough to make up for the lack of human rights.
Dr Nas is determined to continue fighting for equality and visibility. He said: “Giving some humans equal rights and freedom does not take freedom away from the rest.”
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