Netflix pulled an episode of Hasan Minhaj's comedy show at Saudi Arabia's demand. Here's why.
Apparently some theocratic Arabian monarchies just can't take a joke. On Wednesday, Netflix confirmed that it had pulled the second episode of Daily Show alumnus Hasan Minhaj's new topical comedy show, Patriot Act, from its streaming service in Saudi Arabia following complaints from the kingdom's Communications and Information Technology Commission. "We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and only removed this episode in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request — and to comply with local law," Netflix said in a statement. The law in question is, curiously, Saudi Arabia's cyber-crime statute.
In the episode, Minhaj criticizes Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for the murder and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He also characterized MBS as autocratic and slammed his war in Yemen. "Now would be a good time to reassess our relationship with Saudi Arabia," he said. "And I mean that as a Muslim and as an American." You can still watch the episode, first released in October, on Netflix in the U.S. and apparently on YouTube in Saudi Arabia. There is some NSFW language, but you can try to figure out which part the Saudis found so offensive in the barred segment (and its December update) below. Peter Weber
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