Saudi Arabia is undertaking what some media outlets are calling “rainbow raids” to remove rainbow-themed toys and other objects from stores.
The Saudi crackdown comes as some nations celebrate June as “pride month,” including the administration of President Joe Biden, who travels to Saudi Arabia next month.
The Saudi state-run TV channel al-Ekhbariya recently showed what was taking place as officials confiscated items that violated Saudi standards.
“We are having to look out for slogans that violate the rules of Islam and public morals like promoting homosexuality colors, targeting the young generation,” an unnamed official from the Ministry of Commerce said, according to CNN.
A reporter for al-Ekhbariya pointed to a rainbow flag and said the “homosexuality flag is present in one of the Riyadh markets.”
A ministry employee said one item “indirectly promotes homosexuality,” and the station indicated that the toys “are nothing but poisoned messages that target the innocence of children,” according to The Washington Post.
“Our supervisory teams make the rounds of sales outlet and seize and confiscate products that contain symbols and signs that call for aberration and contradict correct nature, and impose penalties on facilities in violation,” a Saudi social media post said, according to the Post.
Children’s hair accessories, pencil cases and backpacks were all taken away, as were crayon packets with rainbows pictured upon them.
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The report did not list by name which items were confiscated or how many were taken.
Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia.
Neighboring Qatar carried out a similar raid last year, confiscating toys with “slogans that go against Islamic values,” the Qatari Ministry of Commerce and Industry said, CNN reported.
Saudi officials raid shops for rainbow-colored toys and clothes that ‘contradict the Islamic faith’ in crackdown on homosexuality…
…but Biden will grovel to them for oil. Unbelievable!!https://t.co/lg2x9oKlMa
— TruthSeekerCyndee (@durant_cd) June 16, 2022
Saudi Arabia is among the countries that is not showing Disney’s new movie “Lightyear.”
The film has been banned in 14 countries due to LGBTQ+ content, Reuters reported.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, counties banning the film include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia and some other Middle Eastern countries did not allow “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” to show due to some same-sex references.
