The OAE will no longer censor Western films

 

 The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will no longer censor Western films that can be watched by anyone over the age of 21. The productions will now be screened in the country "according to their international version", assured the Media Regulatory Authority, writes the British newspaper The Times.

Previously, there was an 18+ screening category in the UAE, but so few international films met it that those with "mature" or "offensive" scenes were presented to the censorship board and immediately blocked.

 Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story, released in the United Kingdom this month, has been banned in a number of Gulf states, apparently because it involves a transgender character. The UAE and others asked Disney to cut the film, but the company refused.

It is unclear whether media authorities will re-release films that have previously been banned or heavily censored.

 The last year has seen a dramatic revision of the strict Islamic laws that have long prevailed in the UAE: people no longer need a license to buy alcohol; unmarried couples have the right to live together; suicide is decriminalized; and unmarried women do not have to flee the country to give birth. The work week has been reduced to four and a half days - at a time when the pandemic has forced people around the world to re-evaluate their work schedules - and from next year the weekends will consist of Saturdays and Sundays to align with Western holidays and markets.

 The latest efforts are part of an ongoing effort to attract more foreigners to the country. They already outnumber locals by nine to one, but most have long been at odds with strict Islamic laws imposed by the state, which became independent in 1971.

The UAE is the second largest economy in the Persian Gulf and faced a severe recession last year as COVID-19 affected the tourism industry and oil prices reached record lows. As the region tries to prepare for the future after oil, attracting investment and skilled workers is crucial.

 The pace of reforms is partly related to developments in Saudi Arabia, which is trying to transform itself into a more tolerant society, with the UAE eager to recoup some of the foreign investment that has gone to Riyadh.