Luxembourg’s openly gay prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has boldly condemned Arab countries’ conduct towards LGBT individuals – much to their dismay. Leaders from Arab countries were taken aback by his statements at last month’s EU-Arab Summit, where he pointed out that he could be executed in some Arab countries because he is married to a man. As the first openly gay man in a position of political leadership in the EU, Bettel said he was compelled to raise the issue of egregious treatment of the LGBT community by Arab countries. “Saying nothing was not an option for me,” he wrote on Twitter. He said, “If I as a gay person would not talk about that, I would have a problem,” Euronews reported. Bettel’s comments were met with an “icy silence” from some members of the audience, while others revelled in a “quiet joy,” German journalist Stefan Leifert said.