Kuwait Bans The Barbie Movie, And A Minister From Lebanon Wants Something To Be Done:
Lebanon’s culture minister asked for the movie to be censored because it “promotes homosexuality and transsexuality,” which is against the law in Lebanon.
Kuwait has banned the movie Barbie in order to safeguard “public ethics as well as social traditions.” This comes after a Lebanese minister requested that the movie be taken out of theaters in his country because it “promotes homosexuality.”
Late On Wednesday, A Spokesman For Kuwait’s Ministry Of Information Informed:
According to the official KUNA news agency, a spokesman for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information stated late Wednesday that the Warner Brothers movie, which has made more than $1 billion at the box office since its release, “promotes ideas and beliefs that are foreign to Kuwaiti society and public order.”
Mohammad Mortada, who is in charge of culture in Lebanon, said upon Wednesday that he had requested the security minister to “do whatever it takes to stop showing Barbie” in the country.
The Ministry Also Banned The Supernatural Horror Movie “Talk To Me” From Australia:
Talk to Me, an Australian ghostly horror movie, was also banned for the same reason. Talk to Me, an Australian ghostly horror movie, was also banned for the same reason.
“Barbie” isn’t banned within the Middle East because it doesn’t show same-sex relationships such as other movies that are. There are L.G.B.T.Q. actors in the group, like Hari Nef, who is transgender, and Kate McKinnon, who is gay.
The Kuwaiti Ministry Says That The Movie Promotes Both Being Gay And Being Transgender:
He said that the movie “promotes homosexuality as well as transsexuality, supports refusing a father’s guardianship, undermines and makes fun of the role of the mother, as well as questions the need for marriage and having a family.”
After Mortada asked, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi requested the country’s censorship committee, which is usually in charge of censorship decisions and is part of his ministry, to look at the picture and give its opinion.
This week, both “Barbie” as well as the scary movie “Talk to Me” were banned by a Kuwaiti group in charge of film control.
A state-run news outlet quoted Lafy Al-Subei’e, an undersecretary within the Ministry for Press as well as Publication, as saying that the movies spread “ideas and opinions that are foreign to Kuwaiti society as well as public order.”
Al-Subei’e informed the media agency that parts in foreign movies that go against Kuwait’s public morals are often cut, but that movies with “alien ideas, messages, or behavior that is not acceptable” are completely banned.
A powerful group backed by Hezbollah was running a campaign against LGBT people in Kuwait. A growing anti-LGBTQ movement in Lebanon, led by the strong armed group Hezbollah, has led to calls to ban the Barbie movie.
Within a speech last month, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, asked the Lebanese government to do something about materials that he thought promoted homosexuality, such as “banning” them.
Hassan Nasrallah Stated That Being Gay Is A “Imminent Danger” For Lebanon:
He said that being gay was a “imminent threat” to Lebanon and that it should be “faced.” Nasrallah said, “From the very first time, even if he is not married, he is killed, even if he is not gay.”
Ayman Mhanna, the head of a non-profit group called the Samir Kassir Foundation, informed the news agency Reuters that the decision to ban the movie was made because of “a wave of bigotry.”
There Are No Clear References To Same Sex Relationships In Barbie:
Mhanna said, “This is part of a larger campaign against LGBT people that includes Hezbollah, the Christian far right, as well as top religious leaders.”
The movie Barbie, in which Margot Robbie as well as Ryan Gosling play Barbie and Ken, was eagerly awaited by LGBTQ groups all over the world, even though it doesn’t show any same-sex relationships as well as queer themes.
The UAE Has ERecently Banned The Movie “Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse.”
It is a film directed by a woman director who worked alone to make more than a billion dollars.
Other movies made in the past few years have been banned due to problems with sexuality and gender identity. The United Arab Emirates banned “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” whose opening has a “Protect Trans Kids” sign.
“Lightyear,” a spin-off of the “Toy Story” series that showed a kiss between two women, was banned in approximately twelve Middle Eastern countries. And the movie “Eternals,” which had the first gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was banned within Saudi Arabia, Qatar, as well as Kuwait.
Vietnam Has Already Banned The Movie:
Vietnam has already banned the movie because of a scene in which a fake map of the world is said to show China’s claims in the contested South China Sea.
The Philippines agreed to show the movie, but they asked that the picture of the disputed sea be made less clear.
Officials in Pakistan’s Punjab province said last month that the film’s release was delayed because it had “objectionable content.” However, they did not say what was “objectionable” or why.