Gulf governments request Netflix delete ‘offensive’ films: Gulf Arab nations requested that Netflix take down “offensive material” on Tuesday, ostensibly referring to shows that include homosexual and lesbian characters.
The proposal made in a joint statement by a committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Which claimed that the unnamed programs “contradict Islamic and societal norms and principles.”
The declaration also made public by the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
They are a part of the six-nation council, along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
A lady labeled as a “behavioral consultant” was interviewed by Saudi state media. While the statement made no more mention of it. She said that Netflix was an “official supporter of homosexuality” in the interview.
It simultaneously broadcast fuzzy video from the animated film “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous,” in which two ladies kiss.
Additionally, a broadcast on Saudi official media suggested that Netflix would banned in the country due to concerns about its children’s programming.
The Los Gatos, California-based Netflix did not reply to calls for comment on Tuesday.
The action follows the June ban on public screenings of Disney’s most recent animated film. “Lightyear,” in Muslim-majority nations due to a short scene that featured two homosexual characters kissing.
The company’s Disney streaming service said that in Gulf Arab nations, its “material accessible should correspond with local regulatory standards.”
Gay people and lesbians are see as wicked by many Muslims. As a result, members of the LGBTQ community have detained and given jail sentences in various Arab nations.
Even now, the death penalty still used in several nations.
The decision also comes as regional streaming providers, such as the Shahid service run by the Saudi-owned MBC Group, attempt to reduce Netflix’s income.
Following several arrests made in 2017 on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over charges of corruption. The Saudi government may own MBC Group, which helped him solidify control.
Previous Netflix programming in Saudi Arabia was scarce.
In 2019, activists attacked Netflix for censoring a “Patriot Act” episode by comedian Hasan Minhaj that denounced Prince Mohammed for killing and dismembering journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the monarchy’s complicity in the Yemen war.
At the time, Netflix said that the episode’s removal from the kingdom was not because of its content but rather in response to a legal request from authorities.
