Government Censor: “The film will upset the people of this culture and tradition.”
But it’s not a cartoon:
The United Arab Emirates has banned Ang Lee’s acclaimed film Brokeback Mountain because of Islamic laws against homosexuality, reports the Khaleej Times.
“Brokeback Mountain is a film which has nothing positive about it. The portrayal of the sexual behavior of its main character is offensive to Eastern societies, particularly Muslims and the Arabs, since Islam forbids abnormal behaviors like homosexuality,” said Abdullah Al Amiri, chairman of the Committee of Financial, Economical, and Industrial Affairs of Sharjah Consultative Council. “The film will upset the people of this culture and tradition.”
Members of the Sharjah Consultative Council thanked the ministry of information for what the Times called “its efforts in protecting the society from unethical and immoral practices.” A member of the ministry told the Times that its censorship department was making a great effort to protect the country from movies that will destroy the values and morals of society.
Any country has a perfect right to ban anything they want, but it should be done on legitimate grounds.
Here we have a violent, murderous religion created by a violent pedophile (Mohammed) who condoned polygamy (albeit supposedly not polytheism) and rather barbaric marital relationships–and THEY are banning homosexuality because of its immorality? What a joke!
The whole dammed Muslim world is a dinosaur, hopelessly out of date, hopelessly backward, hopelessly irrational.
We in the West forget that we have gone through numerous revolutions, both social and political, and they have not. In fact, our history of interference in other parts of the world, particularly economic, has pre-empted social revolutions that should have taken place. We cannot argue that we are better, but we can argue that we have at least weighed these social issues to a far greater extent while ‘they’ (the Muslim and Chinese world) have not. And because of our massive economic inter-relationship now, they may well not for some time to come, particularly as it relates to free speech, democracy and social justice; after all, in resource rich nations these things often get in the way of western based, corporate-sponsored ‘business’.
We in the west also forget that our ignorance blind us from seeing things from other’s point of view. It’s probably best the film was banned from there; most of the Middle Eastern World would find it offensive anyway because their attitude towards homosexuality is negative. Just because it’s not accepted there and accepted here imply that they are backwards, primitive, or in need of a ‘social revolution.’ How ironic that what the movie suggests about ‘respecting other points of views’ is being applied here.
Anyhow, in terms of screenwriting, dialog and plot, the movie may have been successful but I, like those so-called ‘backwards’ Muslims don’t find the content worthy of directing.
And will someone edit the first poorly written post? It’s an insult to critical thinking.
Weathervane and Stormcrow – excllent comments that show different aspects of this issue each with considerable legitimacy.
Kiddo – your comments have little weight because you clearly are uncomfortable and/or predjudiced against gay people.
I think the truth is that the story shows two people that weren’t strong enough to trust in themselves to live outside of cultural bounds. They were selfish, uninspiring men. Those who can live beyond society are the people that inspire progression and acceptance in other people and nations. Homosexuality will always be banned in religious text and rebels will always be crucified.