Current Affairs

Issue

The government of United Arab Emirates has announced to end censorship of films that are released in cinemas.

 

Background

The move is a part of many reforms initiated in the Gulf State and present itself as a broadminded and liberal nation.

 

Details

• The move is said to be in line with the nation’s vision of cutting dependence on oil, and attracting foreign investment by diversifying economy.

• Other recent reforms include decriminalizing the consumption of alcohol and allowing cohabitation out-of marriage.

• To align with typical western work weeks, the country had recently announced adaption of four-and-a-half workday week.

 

The new changes to censor

• A new category known as 21+ years will be created. It will show international version of films that are not edited out to remove objectionable scenes.

• Currently, the conservative censor board is in line with the religious beliefs of the ruling elite. It cuts kissing scenes, blurs the names of dishes that contain non-halal foods and blocks certain channels.

 

Recent reforms in UAE

• UAE is a multicultural and linguistic country with 80% of the resident population comprising of people from other nationality.

• As part of reforms, it recently normalized its ties with the state of Israel, becoming only the third Arab state to do so.

• UAE also introduced a long-term resident visa known as “golden visa” to attract foreign residents.

• People with golden visa can live, work, and study in the UAE without requiring a sponsor, and also have 100 per cent ownership of their business.