DUBAI (Al Jazeera) – Persian Gulf Arab countries have demanded that the streaming service Netflix remove “offensive content”, citing unspecified material that “violates Islamic and societal values and principals”.
A special committee of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a regional organization that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman, made the request in a statement.
“[Netflix] was contacted to remove this content, including content directed at children, and to ensure adherence to the laws,” the joint statement from the GCC committee and the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media noted.
The move appears to be in response to Netflix airing content that includes LGBTQ characters, as well as other material deemed “immoral”.
Saudi state television aired a report on Tuesday that included an interview with a woman identified as a “behavioral consultant” who described Netflix as being an “official sponsor of homosexuality”.
A separate segment on Saudi state television also suggested that Netflix could be banned in the kingdom over programming deemed to negatively influence children.
The California-based Netflix has yet to make a comment on the statement from the GCC committee.
The Persian Gulf statement comes after a number of Muslim-majority countries banned the public showing of Disney’s animated film Lightyear in June over an offensive scene.
In the aftermath, the company’s Disney+ streaming service said its “content available should align with local regulatory requirements” in Persian Gulf Arab countries.
At least 14 countries had banned the movie over the scene.
In September, the Saudi government urged YouTube to delete “inappropriate ads” that went against the laws and regulations of the country.
The move also comes as regional streaming services try to eat into Netflix’s revenue, including the Shahid service, operated by the Saudi-owned MBC Group.
The Saudi government holds a controlling stake in MBC Group after a series of asset seizures during an anti-corruption investigation in 2018.