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The CEO of Qatar Airways has lashed out at critics of his nation ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
The Gulf nation has come under heavy scrutiny ever since it won the right to host the competition in 2010. Issues such as the human rights of migrant workers, the country's stance on the LGBTQ+ community, and the extorbitant cost for fans to attend have dominated the news in recent years.
But Akbar Al Baker has given a defiant response to those who are criticizing the tournament. Numerous countries have already expressed their opposition to the FIFA World Cup taking part in the country, but the Qatar Airways CEO offered a bullish reply, as he stated at a news conference (as per The Miami Herald):
“We always rub salt into the wound of our competitor, and of course, our adversaries, as you can see the measure of the negative media campaign against my beloved country Qatar. Because people cannot accept that a small country like the state of Qatar has won the world's largest sporting event.”
He further added:
“Congratulations to Qatar, my beloved country.”
The comments drew applause from officials in attendance at the news conference.
FIFA World Cup ambassador's comments on homosexuality 'unacceptable'
During a documentary on German broadcaster ZDF, Former Qatar international Khalid Salman told LGBTQ+ people to 'accept our rules.' Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and can carry punishments ranging from heavy fines to the death penalty.
According to BBC Sport, Salman said in the leadup to the FIFA World Cup:
"[Homosexuality] is haram. You know what haram [forbidden] means?"
When asked why it was haram, he added:
"I am not a strict Muslim but why is it haram? Because it is damage in the mind."
Rasha Younes, an LGBT rights senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, was appalled by the comments, as he felt they were incredibly unhelpful. Controversy has engulfed the leadup to this tournament and Younes stated in response to Salman's inflammatory comments:
"Salman's suggestion that same-sex attraction is 'damage in the mind' is harmful and unacceptable. The failure of the Qatari government to counter this false information has a significant impact on the lives of LGBT residents of Qatar, ranging from fuelling discrimination and violence against them to justifying subjecting them to state-sponsored conversion practices."
