This year, with the FIFA World Cup set to go ahead in Qatar, we are calling on our community and allies to show their support for LGBTQI communities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

lgbtqi rights in mena

The 2022 FIFA World Cup men’s football competition is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022. This will be the first World Cup ever to be held in the MENA region. 

International human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised serious concerns about the human rights situation in Qatar, in particular around the abuse and exploitation of the migrant workforce (including those involved in the construction of World Cup stadia) and discrimination against women and LGBTQI people. There are concerns that Qatar is using the World Cup to “sports wash” its human rights record. For more information, see All Out’s Love is not a crime campaign.  

Qatar’s penal code criminalises same-sex relations with imprisonment for one to three years. Individuals convicted of sex outside of marriage can be sentenced to prison. In addition to the Penal Code, Qatar operates an interpretation of Sharia law which criminalises sexual activity between men, under which it is possible that the death penalty can be imposed.  

And Qatar is no outlier in the MENA region. Most countries in the region have laws that criminalise same-sex relations. Even in the countries that don’t, “morality laws” are used to target LGBTQI people. 

As Tarek Zeidan, an LGBTQI activist in Lebanon states: “Qatar is absolutely not an outlier when it comes to these sorts of practises and prejudice, stigma, discrimination against queer and LGBTQ individuals. It's not even an outlier within the GCC, much less the entirety of the region. We are witnessing a surge of LGBTQ issues as a vital political conversation within many countries in the region, especially Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq.”

support lgbtqi human rights activism in mena

In this context, there are no LGBTQI organisations in Qatar. However, there are LGBTQI organisations working across MENA to advance equality. These organisations need the long-term support and investment from our community and corporate allies globally. 

Helem, Lebanon

Helem are Lebanon’s largest national LGBTQI rights organisation and the oldest Arab LGBTQI organisation in the region. They are a community centre, social service provider, legal aid clinic, and activist organising centre.

“Our mission is to lead a peaceful struggle for the liberation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Intersex, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQI) and other persons.” - Tarek Zeidan, Helem

ILGA Asia

IraQueer, Iraq

GET INVOLVED

England men’s football team captain Harry Kane has made it clear that Gareth Southgate’s squad will seek to raise awareness about human rights concerns during the World Cup, a move welcomed by England’s LGBTQI fan group Three Lions Pride. 

During the World Cup and beyond, one way our community and allies can show their support for and solidarity with LGBTQI communities is by supporting those organisations in the MENA region that are working tirelessly to defend LGBTQI rights. They will continue to need this support long after visiting football fans and sponsors have left Qatar.