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A group of Arab friends living in Qatar's capital Doha met up over cocktails and snacks last week, exchanging opinions as they flicked through profiles of gay men on dating apps Tinder and Grindr.

The phone of one flashed with a message from a suitor around the corner. The man in his 20s leapt up from the table, leaving to meet his date face-to-face.

The friends, who met up days before the soccer World Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday, are part of a Doha gay scene that's managing to fly under the radar in a nation where same-sex relations are illegal and punishable by up to three years of jail-time.