FILE – This Netflix logo is seen on a tablet in North Andover, Mass., Jan. 17, 2017. Gulf Arab countries on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, asked Netflix to remove “offensive content” on the streaming service, apparently targeting programs showing gays and lesbians. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) Gulf Arab countries on Tuesday asked Netflix to remove “offensive content” from the streaming service, apparently targeting programs that show gays and lesbians. A joint statement issued on behalf of a committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council made the request, saying the unspecified programs “go against Islamic and social values and principles.” Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also released the statement through their respective governments. They, along with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, make up the six-nation council. Although the statement did not elaborate, Saudi state television also aired video of an interview it conducted with a woman identified as a “behavior consultant” who described Netflix as an “official sponsor of homosexuality.” Footage of a cartoon featuring two women embracing was shown simultaneously, although the footage was blurry. Saudi Arabia’s state television also aired a segment suggesting that Netflix could be banned in the kingdom because that program touches children. Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The move comes after countries in the Muslim world in June banned public screenings of Disney’s latest animated film “Lightyear” over a brief moment showing two lesbian characters kissing. After that, the company’s Disney+ streaming service said that “available content should be aligned with local regulatory requirements” in the Arab Gulf countries. Many Muslims consider gays and lesbians to be sinners. In some parts of the Arab world, members of the LGBTQ community have been arrested and sentenced to prison. Some countries even retain the death penalty. The move also comes as regional streaming services try to soak up Netflix’s revenue, including the Shahid service operated by Saudi-owned MBC Group. The Saudi government is believed to hold a controlling stake in MBC Group following a series of arrests in 2017 ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over corruption allegations that saw him centralize power in the kingdom. Netflix has limited content in the past in Saudi Arabia. In 2019, activists blasted the streaming service for airing an episode of comedian Hasan Minhaj’s “Patriot Act” that criticized Prince Mohammed for killing and dismembering Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the kingdom’s involvement in the war in Yemen. Netflix said at the time that the episode was removed from the kingdom as a result of a legal request from the authorities and not because of its content.
