New Delhi: Gulf Arab countries have asked Netflix to remove “objectionable” videos, especially videos of programs featuring people from the gay community. A joint statement issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) requested that the unspecified programs are “against Islamic and social values and principles”. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also published statements through their respective governments. Apart from them, the GCC includes six countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. ‘Netflix’ is an ‘over the top’ (OTT) platform, which provides films and other digital content (content) through the Internet. However, ‘Netflix’ has not issued any statement in this regard yet.
In June, several Muslim countries also banned the broadcast of Disney+Hotstar’s film Lightyear. He objected to the kissing scene of two gay characters in the film. Subsequently, OTT platform ‘Disney+Hotstar’ said that its “content available in Gulf Arab countries should be compliant with local regulatory requirements”.
Many Muslims consider homosexuality a crime. In some parts of Arab countries, members of the LGBTQ community have been arrested and sentenced to prison terms. In some countries, there is also a provision for the death penalty for this.
