Doha Debates poll: Six out of 10 Arabs support censorship of the arts

Some six out of 10 Arabs surveyed in a poll earlier this month have expressed support for government censorship of the arts, with the majority of censorship supporters coming from GCC countries, the Doha Debates has said. 

This contrasts with the nearly six out of 10 audience members (58 percent to 42 percent) who said censorship ruined the arts during the group’s debate last month in Doha.

Regulatory bodies and state-affiliated institutions are necessary because art could be “inappropriate” and offend “religious beliefs,” said respondents of the poll, which was conducted between May 30 and June 3.

DD told Doha News the poll has yet to be published on its website, but confirmed Al Ahram’s report:

In the poll, most of those who supported government censorship of art came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Yemen. Poll samples from less conservative countries in the region returned different results.

Less than half of those poll suggested that government censorship should be implemented on cinema, music, universities and the internet. However, they saw that the rise in the number of internet users in the Arab world would challenge censorship efforts.

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Credit: Photo by Paul G