Netflix has been threatened with legal action by a group of 6 Gulf Arab states if it continues to stream content that contradicts Islam, according to Saudi official media. While the statement did not mention the specific shows that were anti-Islamic in nature, there are speculations that this statement was referring to the depiction of LGBT content in various shows.
The Saudi media regulator and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), based in Riyadh, released a joint statement that did not specify which of the shows are in violation of ‘Islamic values’, instead it referred to content in general that “contradicts Islamic and societal principles.” While the consortium did not specify the content, the platform was asked to remove content aimed at minors and several shows ‘promoting’ homosexuality by the Saudi state media regulator.
The action follows a debate in the Gulf on social media and television concerning content for youngsters that was claimed to promote homosexuality. “The required legal steps will be taken if infringing content is continued to be broadcast,” the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council said in a statement on Tuesday.
Netflix was described as the “official sponsor of homosexuality” by a “behavioural consultant” on Saudi state television. The assertion was shown with a blurred-out clip of two female Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous characters kissing. Saudi television has also hinted at a permanent ban on Netflix.
The identical scene in the program sparked outrage in Hungary, which just passed legislation prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality.
The controversy around the ‘Lightyear’
Muslim-majority countries moved earlier this year to prohibit the release of the Pixar prequel Lightyear, which contained a lesbian subplot. Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the UAE had also banned the Toy Story spin-off. In this example, the scene depicted Alisha, a lesbian space ranger, kissing her lover as she returned home from a mission
Countries that have censored LGBT+ content
After Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Eternals, and West Side Story were all banned in Saudi Arabia owing to LGBT+ content, it was alleged that Disney did not even submit Lightyear to censors.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian censorship agency LFP, which also banned Lightyear, previously prevented the distribution of the Elton John biography Rocketman and Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore due to LGBT storylines.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intervened over ‘satanic’ costumes on the popular entertainment show ‘The Masked Singer,’ and Netflix was forced to terminate its Turkish original ‘If Only’ in 2020 due to pressure from the Turkish government to remove a gay character.
