Homophobic fear and racism in Qatar over monkeypox
Despite what Qatar is trying to promote with the strength of its health system, with every disease that appears in it, it quickly reveals the falsehood of these lies, to spread widely. This time, however, not only did monkeypox carry the fear of deteriorating health conditions, but it also carried the worrying racism that it causes homosexuality, so that Doha will now witness new crises, due to the spread of monkeypox and racism against homosexuals.
The World Health Organization confirmed that 80 cases of monkeypox have been recorded, with recent outbreaks in 11 countries and 50 other suspected cases. In recent weeks, it has monitored cases in Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, as well as in the United States, Canada and Australia, raising concerns about the possible spread of the virus.
In parallel, Qatar has concealed the presence of cases of monkeypox in the country, fearing that the preparations of the 2022 World Cup, which is scheduled to officially kick off next November, will be affected, in addition to having a negative impact on the economic situation, but it has caused a situation of racism to prevail, as the country has many sayings about its spread among homosexuals or its cause in homosexuality, which has raised great concerns among homosexuals in Qatar, who are suffering mainly from serious violations.
This comes despite the warning of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) that racist, homophobic and offensive comments sometimes recorded about monkeypox “could quickly undermine efforts to combat the epidemic”.
A significant proportion of the hundreds of cases of monkeypox confirmed by WHO or national health authorities concern homosexuals or bisexuals, and UNAIDS has also noted that the infection is transmitted through close contact with a sick person and therefore can be infected by everyone.
“These stigmas and traumas undermine confidence and the ability to effectively respond to outbreaks of HIV/AIDS”, said Matthew Kavanaugh, deputy director of the Joint United Nations Program on (UNAIDS), noting that such racist or homophobic campaigns create a cycle of fear that drives individuals away from health centers, limits efforts to identify infections and encourage coercive and ineffective measures.
The United Nations agency, based on its long experience with AIDS, believes that this type of discourse can very quickly undermine science-based and scientific fact-based efforts to combat the disease.
The issue of homosexuality is a subject of confusion recently prior to the country’s hosting of the World Cup, where laws adopted to deal with homosexual fans are not yet fully clear, as homosexuality is prohibited and punishable by several years in prison. Qatar is one of approximately 70 countries identified by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association, which criminalizes consensual same-sex activity.
Regardless of illegality, social pressures on any Qatari suspected of being LGBT are many, and LGBT Qataris live in the shadows, in constant fear of being revealed, trapped or harassed by the police and security services, while if revealed as LGBT, they face social stigma, permanent ostracism from friends and family, severe risks to their mental health, threat of violence, or worse, according to the BBC.
In recent months, this criticism has expanded to examine the country’s law on homosexuality and the treatment of the LGBT community, attempts by Doha to counter accusations that it is a relatively progressive country in the region and has adapted and responded to Western calls for change on issues such as workers’ rights and the founder of the sexual life issue.
