MNEK welcomes Qatar being held to account, but says West ‘are not angels’

MNEK says he ‘just wouldn’t agree to perform in Qatar (Image: Reuters)

MNEK believes that Western countries should not be seen as ‘better than’ when it comes to criticism Qatar hosting the World Cup and the country’s human rights issues.

Celebrities like David Beckham and Morgan Freeman have faced criticism of their involvement with the Qatar World Cup in light of the country’s laws against homosexuality and questions about the deaths of local workers who built the infrastructure for the football event.

Various musicians, such as Dua Lipa and Mel C, have stated that they would turn down an offer to perform at the World Cup and MNEK is right with them.

However, he stressed that while it is right to condemn Qatar for its shortcomings, Western countries also have work to do when it comes to race, sexism and the LGBTQ+ community.

So said the Never Forget You hitmaker, who is openly gay Metro.nl at the Mobo Awards in London on Wednesday night: ‘I wouldn’t. The truth is that it is a human rights issue.

“It shouldn’t be any better from this point of view to look at Western countries than because we haven’t completely solved our problems on human rights, on women, on human rights, on people of color. .’

The singer-songwriter spoke to Metro.co.uk at the MOBO Awards in London (Picture: Getty Images)
David Beckham has faced mounting backlash over his role as ambassador for Qatar Tourism (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

He added: “So I think Qatar should absolutely be held accountable for its lack of human rights, but we are on the same boat. We are not angels.’

MNEK has spoken about the pressure before he felt like a “person of great importance to the black gay community” as he rose to fame as a singer.

Dua Lipa said acting in Qatar amid their human rights concerns ‘would be contrary’ [her] beliefs’ (Picture: Getty Images)
Mel C recently said she would feel ‘uncomfortable’ as part of this year’s World Cup (Picture: Getty Images)

“I felt the need to be this martyr, or this person who is of great importance to the black gay community, but I think it’s more like, I don’t know, I feel like my actions do that more,” he said while appearing on the Beats by Dr. INFORMAL series. Dre.

“I think if I’m myself and I’m not worried about how it looks, I think a lot of people find a lot of comfort in that.”

The singer-songwriter Wrote A Song About You added, “A lot of people think homosexuality is a very white mentality, which is insane, which is actually madness.

“It goes and spreads to everyone. The conversations I’ve had with certain people who look like me, but may not live like me, about homosexuality lacked nuance and lacked real understanding.’

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