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Text by: Sophian Aubin<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who has seen Greta Gerwig\u2019s film knows that the character Barbie aspires to a world of peace and love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Lebanon<\/a>, however, this American comedy is fueling tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the film is showing in Saudi Arabia<\/a>, the United Arab Emirates<\/a> and Bahrain<\/a>, the heroine, played by Australian actress Margot Robbie, could be banned from the generally liberal Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The release of \u201cBarbie\u201d in the Middle East<\/a> was initially planned for August 31, but was recently brought forward to August 10, seemingly indicating that any censorship issues had been resolved. Films are often delayed in the region to allow time for production companies to censor them or gather committees to review them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the day before the planned release, Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada announced that he had asked for the film to be banned<\/a>, saying the film \u201cpromotes homosexuality and sexual transformation\u201d and \u201ccontradicts values of faith and morality\u201d by diminishing the importance of the family unit. Mortada is backed by the powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah, whose head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah recently gave a speech<\/a> that made reference to Islamic texts calling for same-sex relations to be punished by death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Mortada\u2019s announcement, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi asked the General Security\u2019s Censorship Committee, which falls under the Interior Ministry and is traditionally responsible for censorship decisions, to review the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kuwait<\/a> has already banned \u201cBarbie\u201d outright, saying that the film promotes \u201cideas and beliefs that are alien to Kuwaiti society and public order\u201d, according to a statement published by the state-run KUNA news agency. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to L\u2019Orient Today<\/a>, the Film Censorship Committee in Lebanon saw no reason to ban the film on Friday. The final decision regarding Lebanon\u2019s screening of Barbie rests with the General Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbie passed the billion-dollar mark at the global box office on July 21. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018He must not have seen the film\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Canadian actor Ryan Gosling has been widely praised for his comic portrayal of Ken, whose over-the-top masculinity is consistently mocked throughout the film. Gerwig\u2019s comedy portrays a world run by women<\/a>, reversing the roles of patriarchal society. And it concludes with an egalitarian message: let\u2019s stop thinking of ourselves as \u201cKen\u201d or \u201cBarbie\u201d and embrace the individuals we really are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the cast of \u201cBarbie\u201d includes Kate McKinnon, who is a lesbian, and transgender actor Hari Nef, the movie does not contain any explicit references to homosexuality or transsexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe must not have seen the film,\u201d says Ayman Mhanna, executive director of the Samir Kassir Foundation, an association that aims to \u201cpromote democratic culture\u201d in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East. \u201cThese comments come in the midst of a violent homophobic campaign launched a few weeks ago by the leader of Hezbollah<\/a> Hassan Nasrallah. A similar movement had been previously promoted by extremist Christian groups.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lebanon\u2019s political elite has been heavily targeting the LGBT community since Pride Month in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nasrallah stated in July that, according to Islamic law, all gay people \u201cshould be killed\u201d and called for a boycott of all rainbow-themed products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Representatives from the country\u2019s various Christian communities also widely reject homosexuality, which is condemned in both the Bible and the Koran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under pressure from religious dignitaries, the country has cancelled events organised by its LGBT community on several occasions in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The children\u2019s animated feature film \u201cBuzz Lightyear\u201d, which features a lesbian couple, was banned last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Spiritual reasons, political manoeuvring\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When he announced his intention to ban the release of \u201cBarbie\u201d, Mortada brought up an informal ministerial meeting held on Tuesday at the summer residence of Bechara al-Rahi, head of the Maronite Church, an Eastern rite church that recognises the authority of the Roman Catholic Church<\/a> while maintaining its own form of worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIdeas that run counter to the divine order and the principles shared by all Lebanese people must be combatted,\u201d said both the Maronite al-Rahi and Nasrallah at the end of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Political divisions run deep between Lebanon\u2019s Christian and Muslim communities. The practice of proportionately reserving key government posts for representatives from the country\u2019s different religious communities since 1989 has frequently led to deadlocks in decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, \u201cthe Lebanese authorities are very happy to agree when it comes to sharing homophobic positions, or more generally to oppose any civil law concerning marriage, inheritance, child custody or divorce\u201d, says Mhanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Religious institutions often serve as a relay between political parties and Lebanese society. \u201cThey are very often exploited by the parties in power, which invoke spiritual reasons to disguise obvious political maneuvering,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A society more open than its rulers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Compared to most countries in the region, Lebanon is a multi-faith society that is relatively open when it comes to moral issues. Prohibited in most of the Arab world, the 2022 Marvel film \u201cDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness\u201d, which features a lesbian couple, was screened there. Festive, cosmopolitan and somewhat Westernised, the Lebanese capital Beirut<\/a> is still seen by some as the \u201cParis<\/a> of the Middle East\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Mhanna points out that the parties represented in Parliament reflect a somewhat conservative society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNevertheless, I don\u2019t think that the Lebanese people \u2013 including the more traditional ones \u2013 have a real problem with \u2018Barbie\u2019. They are not focused on moral issues, instead they are very worried about economic collapse, the justice system and the Lebanese state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daily newsletter<\/strong>Receive essential international news every morningSubscribe<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Weakened by endemic political instability, the country is facing the most serious economic crisis in its history, marked by hyperinflation, the falling value of its currency and banking restrictions. Social tensions are being exacerbated by the lack of basic services such as water and electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lack of a thorough investigation and resulting justice in the wake of the explosion at the Port of Beirut in August 2020 has added to the discontent. Furthermore, evidence of negligence and corruption<\/a> involving the authorities resulted in a lack prosecutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In light of this crisis, the authorities are bringing up moral issues to distract its citizens, says Mhanna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYesterday, they were blaming refugees,\u201d he says. \u201cToday, they\u2019re blaming gay people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article has been translated from the <\/em><\/strong>original in French<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Ministry of Culture in Lebanon may decide to ban \u201cBarbie\u201d after it accused the film of \u201cpromoting homosexuality\u201d on Wednesday. Lebanon, normally perceived as relatively open and free in the Middle East, has seen its ruling elites unite around hardcore conservative values. Issued on: 13\/08\/2023 (France24.com) Text by: Sophian Aubin… Continue reading