Word: borates
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...Haddad decided right away that Borat was not ready for prime time in most of the Middle East, in part because it portrays Kazakhstan as a country rife with incest, rape and disco dancing. "Many of these countries, especially in the Gulf, have economic ties to Khazakstan, and the idea of turning a poor Muslim country into something ridiculous would be insulting. They are not going to understand that that's being exaggerated to make people laugh...
...Instead, Empire distributed the movie only in Haddad's native Lebanon, arguably the most sophisticated media market in the Middle East, where many are familiar with the TV work of Borat's creator, Sasha Baron Cohen. But audience sensibility wasn't the only obstacle in Borat's path: Movies in Lebanon are tightly monitored by a censorship board attached to the General Security Directorate, the country's most powerful intelligence institution. The board has traditionally banned or censored movies that contain anything that might be construed as Israeli propaganda, anything sexually explicit, and anything that might incite or insult...
...would have thought that the spectacle of Borat cavorting in fishnet underwear or speaking in tongues at a Pentecostal prayer meeting, a rodeo cowboy equating Arabs and Muslims with suicide bombers, or Borat's attempt to buy a handgun suitable for Jew-killing, would have tripped the censors' sensors. But Borat has gone almost the length of its commercial run without public outcry - and, as far as I could tell, without a single cut from the original. In a random sampling, Lebanese audiences laughed at the same moments as did those in New York, though film critics at a special...
...explanation for Borat's smooth ride in Lebanon may be that the country's intelligence services aren't what they used to be. The former head of General Security, Jamil Sayed (who was also the former head of the film board) is currently in prison under suspicion for involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. And since the Syrian withdrawal, local audiences have seen such racy fare as Brokeback Mountain and Munich, Stephen Spielberg's drama about Israel's campaign to avenge athletes slain by Palestinian terrorists at the 1976 Olympics. Lebanese cinema-goers are also...
...tempting to read Borat's unmolested season on Lebanese screens as a sign of progress of the post-Syrian era towards a more tolerant, liberal society. But it could just as likely be the high water mark in a Weimar-like interregnum before the forces of reaction and intolerance reassert themselves. Outside of the theaters, Lebanese society is in the midst of a sense of humor failure. When a Lebanese television comedy show poked fun at Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah last year, his followers rioted, cutting off the road from Beirut airport. And with Hizballah firmly ensconced in central Beirut...