- Kuwait bans “Barbie” film to protect public ethics, following allegations of promoting homosexuality. It also prohibits the Australian horror film “Talk to me” for similar reasons.
- In Lebanon, Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada’s plea to prevent “Barbie” screening due to alleged advocacy of homosexuality coincides with an anti-LGBTQ campaign led by Hezbollah and other religious figures, showcasing rising intolerance.
Kuwait has recently instituted a prohibition on the film “Barbie” with the intention of safeguarding “public ethics and social conventions,” shortly following a plea from a Lebanese minister to restrain the movie’s exhibition due to allegations of “promoting homosexuality.” An official from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information conveyed on Wednesday evening that the film, produced by Warner Brothers and achieving over $1 billion in global box office sales since its inception, is disseminating concepts and ideologies incongruous with Kuwaiti societal norms and public harmony, as cited by the authoritative KUNA news agency. The ministry has similarly proscribed the Australian supernatural horror film, “Talk to Me,” on analogous grounds.
In Lebanon, Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada publicized his request to the Lebanese interior ministry for the “imposition of all requisite measures” to prevent the screening of “Barbie” within the nation. Mortada contended that the film “advocates homosexuality and transsexuality,” undermines parental guardianship, satirizes the maternal role, and questions the indispensability of matrimony and familial ties. Pursuant to Mortada’s appeal, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi impelled the country’s censorship committee, a component under his purview traditionally entrusted with censorship determinations, to scrutinize the movie and present its recommendation.
The scheduled exhibition of the “Barbie” film in Lebanon’s theatres was set to commence on August 31. This move to suppress the “Barbie” film transpires against the backdrop of an escalating anti-LGBTQ campaign in Lebanon, primarily instigated by the influential Hezbollah. In a recent address, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, exhorted Lebanese authorities to counteract materials conducive to the propagation of homosexuality. Nasrallah stressed that homosexuality is an “immediate peril” to Lebanon, warranting resolute action.
Ayman Mhanna, the executive director of the civic nonprofit Samir Kassir Foundation, elucidated to Reuters that the decision to interdict the film transpired within an atmosphere of “rising intolerance.” Mhanna portrayed this as an integral facet of a more expansive crusade, wherein the Hezbollah faction, Christian segments and other prominent religious leaders coalesce in a concerted endeavour to counteract the LGBTQ populace. “This forms part of a wider drive that amalgamates Hezbollah, the conservative Christian right, and other influential religious figures in a directed campaign against the LGBTQ community,” Mhanna expounded.
“Barbie”, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling portraying the roles of Barbie and Ken, aroused extensive anticipation within LGBTQ circles worldwide, notwithstanding the absence of overt references to same-sex relationships or queer themes in the film’s narrative.
It has already faced prohibition in Vietnam due to an entirely separate matter. Vietnam decided to exclude ‘Barbie’ from its cinemas as a scene depicting a fictional world map, censured for purportedly portraying China’s assertions in the contentious South China Sea. While the Philippines authorised the film’s screening, it stipulated the blurring of the map related to the disputed sea. In Pakistan’s Punjab province, the movie’s release underwent a delay attributed to “objectionable content.”
