The moment Nas Mohamed knew for certain he was gay, he panicked. “I walked into a gay club and I knew I was 100 percent gay,” he tells The Independent. “I went home and cried – I thought my life is in crisis. I thought I was going to go to hell, my life is damned. “That was the main thing. And then I thought about the risk of anyone finding out. I genuinely feared I would be killed if anyone knew.” Nas, 35 this month, is Qatari. Homosexuality in the Gulf state is illegal. Same-sex relationships are outlawed and carry a punishment of several years in jail. Qatar is one of almost 70 countries identified by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association which criminalises consensual same-sex activity.