A bold new move: UAE not to censor adult content in films shown in its theatres

The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday it will no longer censor cinematic releases, introducing a 21 and above age rating for films it classifies for mature audiences. The UAE, which is made up of seven emirates, is considered one of the more liberal countries in the Gulf region, where movies with adult content are routinely cut or edited.

The Emirati Media Regulatory Authority will develop a new +21 age category for viewers instead of deleting sensitive scenes that may offend traditional Islamic sensibilities.

“The Media Regulatory Office announced the inscribed of the +21 for the age classification categories for cinema films. According to this classification, the movies will be screened in cinemas according to their international version, and the classification is given based on the standards of media content in the country,” the authority said in a Twitter post.

According to this classification, the movies will be screened in cinemas according to their international version, and the classification is given based on the standards of media content in the country.

Censors in the UAE, like elsewhere in the Middle East, have long removed scenes in cinematic releases that show nudity, homosexuality, sex, and other content deemed inappropriate.

Foreigners outnumber locals nearly nine to one in the federation of seven sheikhdoms. The diversity of culture and religion in the tourism-dependent country has at times been at odds with its Islamic laws and traditions.

But that’s changing as the nation promotes its socially liberal environment to lure international workers. The government has reformed its Islamic legal code and next year will change its weekend to Saturday-Sunday to align with Western businesses and markets.

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