The Kuwaiti Appeals Court sentenced singer Khaled Al-Mulla to two years in prison for “insulting the judiciary” in a Ramadan TV program.
Read More »Kuwait: More than 4,000 books banned in five years
Activists are taking to the streets of Kuwait City to protest government censorship that has blacklisted more than 4,300 books in the last five years.
Read More »Kuwait/Lebanon/UAE: Countries ban Egyptian film over religious concerns
Egyptian film ‘Mawlana’ (Preacher) banned in Kuwait, UAE & Lebanon over backlash from religious clerics amid fears it could “incite sectarian strife”.
Read More »Kuwait: Censorship hits book fair
Book fairs across the Arab-speaking regions in the Middle East and North Africa have not only grown in popularity, but have also been places were publishers can sell books that are not allowed to be sold in stores. However, the Kuwait International Book Fair, once a free space for books, …
Read More »Kuwait: Emirati street racing film banned without explanation
Government authorities have banned Emirati street racing film ‘Hajwala’ and have given no reason for their decision, according to the film’s producer, reported Gulf News on 28 September 2016. “We are very disappointed, especially because they [authorities] haven’t even explained to us why they have not allowed the film to …
Read More »Five more countries ban ‘The Danish Girl’
As of 1 February 2016, five more countries have followed suit with Qatar and banned screenings of Tom Hooper’s transgender film ‘The Danish Girl’. Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and United Arab Emirates failed to pass local censor requirements over “moral depravity” and that it “promoted homosexuality and gender transformation”. Sources » Gay …
Read More »Kuwait: Concert with American singer cancelled
A concert with the American singer Akon was scheduled to be held on 11 April 2015, but was cancelled after more than 9,000 tweets with the hashtag #Stop_Saturday_Concert_in Kuwait (in Arabic language) called for a cancellation of the concert. The discussion on Twitter became a heated debate between Kuwaiti citizens …
Read More »Kuwait: “Inappropriate” art exhibition closed after three hours
At 7pm on 5 March 2012, the Al M. Gallery in Kuwait City opened a new exhibition of paintings by Shurooq Amin that was scheduled to last until 1 April. The exhibit was closed three hours later by authorities who deemed the artworks “inappropriate”. At about 9pm police, responding to …
Read More »Kuwait: BBC reports how musicians in Kuwait struggle with censorship
Video report by Howard Johnson, BBC While the music industry in the Gulf is a lucrative one, government censors are proving a big barrier to commercial success for some artists. In February 2012, Virgin Megastore, the region’s biggest music retailer, closed its flagship branch in Kuwait City. That …
Read More »Kuwait: Music distributor pulls out of Kuwait because of censorship
Music Master, a leading Dubai-based music distributor, has stopped its Kuwait operations because state censorship of albums and artwork makes it impossible to operate, reported Arabian Business on 31 January 2011. Albums by mainstream artists such as Beyonce and Lady Gaga have run into problems in Kuwait. “It comes …
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