‘Barbie’ is prohibited in Lebanon and Kuwait.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – On Wednesday, Lebanon’s culture minister tried to remove the picture “Barbie” from theaters, claiming that it “promotes homosexuality” and opposes Christian beliefs.

Minister Mohammad Mortada is backed by the powerful Shi’ite armed group Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has increased his rhetoric against the LGBT population, citing Islamic texts that demand for the death penalty in a recent speech.

According to Mortada’s ruling, the video “promotes homosexuality and sexual transformation” and “contradicts values of faith and morality” by downplaying the importance of the family unit.

Based on Mortada’s action, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi requested that the video be reviewed and recommended by General Security’s censorship committee, which is under the interior ministry and is generally responsible for censoring decisions.

Later in the day, Kuwait followed Lebanon’s lead, stating it had banned “Barbie” and the supernatural horror film “Talk to Me” to defend “public ethics and social traditions,” according to the state news agency.

Lebanon was the first Arab country to organize a gay pride week in 2017, and it is often regarded as a safe haven for the LGBT population in the otherwise conservative Middle East.