Reuters reports:
Lebanon’s culture minister moved to ban the film “Barbie” from cinemas, saying it “promotes homosexuality” and contradicts religious values. Minister Mohammad Mortada is backed by powerful Shi’ite armed group Hezbollah, whose head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has ramped up his rhetoric against the LGBT community, referring in a recent speech to Islamic texts that call for punishing offenders with death.
Based on Mortada’s move, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security’s censorship committee, which falls under the interior ministry and is traditionally responsible for censorship decisions, to review the film and give its recommendation. Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East.
Read the full article. Kuwait is doing the same.
Lebanon moves to ban ‘Barbie’ film for ‘promoting homosexuality’ https://t.co/GlmtTrXbLX pic.twitter.com/TFbKET4ORa
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) August 10, 2023
“Barbie” is set to open across the Middle East, but Kuwait and Lebanon have made moves to ban the film over its themes about gender and sexuality. https://t.co/DSyaDM75L2
— ABC News (@ABC) August 13, 2023
