Saudi Arabia and Gulf neighbors threaten Netflix over content that 'violates Islamic values'

Saudi Arabia and 5 different Gulf Arab countries issued a associated connection demanding that Netflix region contented they accidental "violates Islamic and societal values and principles," Saudi media has reported.

The connection said that the streaming giant's worldly was successful breach of authorities regulations, though it did not marque circumstantial notation to which topics oregon shows broke those rules.

It's wide believed, however, and voiced by section media and officials, that Netflix shows featuring homosexual characters, same-sex kissing and children portrayed successful a intersexual airy are the targets of the directive.

The determination was taken "in airy of the caller reflection that the level was broadcasting ocular worldly and contented which violates contented controls successful GCC countries," the connection by the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media and the GCC Committee of Electronic Media Officials said Tuesday.

The contented "violates Islamic and societal values and principles. As such, the level was contacted to region this content, including contented directed astatine children, and to guarantee adherence to the laws."

The GCC, oregon Gulf Cooperation Council, is comprised of the mostly conservative, Muslim-majority states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Homosexuality is criminalized successful these countries and tin beryllium punished by fines, situation clip oregon adjacent the decease penalty. 

The authorities besides threatened ineligible enactment if Netflix fails to adhere to its demand.

"All ineligible measures volition beryllium taken to support the Kingdom's sovereignty, citizens and residents from immoderate intelligence onslaught aimed astatine affecting its societies, values, information of upbringing their generations and protecting them from harmful content," Esra Assery, CEO of the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media, told Saudi outlet Arab News.

Netflix has not yet publically responded to the connection and had nary remark erstwhile contacted by CNBC.

Saudi authorities quality transmission Al Ekhbariya TV released a televised study connected the taxable connected Tuesday featuring clips from the Netflix animated amusement "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous." The study from the authorities web showed a blurred country of 2 pistillate characters expressing their emotion for 1 different and kissing.

Al Ekhbariya posted its study connected its authoritative Twitter account, which has 1.4 cardinal followers, with the caption "Netflix promotes kid homosexuality nether a cinematic cover. Will #Netflix beryllium blocked successful Saudi Arabia soon?"

Another tweet from the authorities web read, "Netflix threatens the steadfast upbringing of children," and spreads "immoral messages." A video successful its tweet featured the hashtags "#CancelNetflix" and "#BoycottNetflix."

Netflix has not responded to the accusations. But galore of its users successful the U.S. and Europe person celebrated the featuring of LGBTQ+ characters and contented connected the streaming platform, saying it sets a affirmative illustration for inclusivity and representation. Netflix inactive boasts the highest fig of users of immoderate paid-subscription streaming service, with immoderate 220 cardinal subscribers worldwide arsenic of past June.

A YouGov survey from September 2021 found Netflix to beryllium the astir fashionable streaming work successful Saudi Arabia, with 37% of residents successful the kingdom saying they usage it.

This is acold from the archetypal clip authorities successful the oil-rich Arab Gulf states person clashed with Western media connected the taxable of homosexual content. In June, the Gulf countries, on with respective others successful East and South Asia, banned the cinematic release of Disney Pixar's animated movie "Lightyear" implicit its featuring of a same-sex narration and a little same-sex kiss.

And successful July, e-commerce giant Amazon was directed by the UAE authorities to artifact hunt results for LGBTQ-related products connected its UAE website. Shortly earlier that, authorities successful Saudi Arabia raided respective children's stores to prehend rainbow-themed toys and covering arsenic portion of a crackdown connected homosexuality, authorities media reported astatine the time.

The pushbacks against LGBTQ+ themes travel arsenic immoderate of the region's countries, peculiarly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, effort to diversify their economies distant from hydrocarbons and pull caller investment.

Part of their strategies includes liberalizing reforms and relaxing immoderate antecedently strict societal laws successful bid to pull endowment from different parts of the world. Up until 2018, movie theaters were banned successful Saudi Arabia; they are present being built each implicit the state owed to these reforms, though censorship of definite contented inactive applies.

Activists and quality rights organizations person agelong criticized the region's laws connected homosexuality, portion its governments antagonistic that the laws support its spiritual and taste norms.