Doctor Becomes First Qatari To Come Out As Gay
starobserver.com.auA 35-year-old doctor, who has become the first Qatari to come out publicly as gay, has sought asylum in the United States. Nas Mohamed, who is currently living and working as a physician in San Francisco, said he no longer wished to remain “anonymous”.
Mohamed said that it was not safe for him to return to Qatar and live his life as an out gay man. Qatar’s human rights record and its treatment of LGBTQI people have come under the spotlight after the country was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Qatar ranks at the 143rd position out of 150 countries on the LGBTQ+ travel safety index. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, which criminalises “sodomy” and “sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex”.
Under its Penal Code, gay men can be punished with a prison term of up to seven years and fines. The country also implements the Islamic Sharia law.
