GCC States, Egypt Demand That Netflix Remove ‘Immoral’ Content

Seven Arab countries have demanded that streaming giant Netflix remove material from its platform that they deem “immoral” – a call generally believed to refer to LGBT content. 

The initial demand came from the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose six members – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – said this week that the content in question goes against “Islamic societal values and principles.” The GCC asked Netflix to remove the programming it objected to. 

Egypt then added its own objections to certain Netflix programming, which it also said “conflicts with societal values.” 

While the terms gay, lesbian and transgender were not mentioned in the countries’ protests, various blockbusters – including recent Marvel blockbusters – have been banned by several of the countries for their depiction of gay relationships. 

According to CNN, Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al Ekhbariya news channel this week slammed Netflix for “promoting sexual deviance” to children, in an apparent reference to gay relationships.