'Wonder Woman' Stirs Up Arab World

Gal Gadot. (GDA via AP Images)

By    |   Monday, 19 June 2017 03:08 PM EDT ET

"Wonder Woman" continues to spark controversy following last year's petition that sought to ban the superhero character from being named Honorary Ambassador of Women and Girls.

The film's premier was boycotted or banned in Arab countries.

This is said to stem from the fact that the film's lead actress, Gal Gadot, is an Israeli who served two years compulsory service in the Israel Defense Force, noted The Washington Post.

Lebanon was the first Arab country to prohibit the film, followed by Algeria, Jordan and Tunisia, according to France 24. The film is scheduled to be released in Jordan in July.

In Tunisia, suspension came after Arab nationalist political party, the People’s Movement, put forth a request to Tunisian Culture Minister. In a statement, the party stated: "We must continue the mobilization on this type of affair, as on everything related to normalization with the Zionist entity," Deadline reported.

However, according to Deadline, a spokesperson for the Tunisian Culture Minister claimed that the film's suspension was due to an error that arose from how the distributors applied for their operating visas.

Three years ago, a petition was created, and submitted, to Warner Bros. calling for Gadot to be removed from the role in "Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

The reason for the call was reportedly due to social media posts in which the actress aired her views regarding the Israel-Palestinian unrest.

The petition, posted on Change.org slammed Gadot, stating that she made comments regarding the current conflict between Israel and Palestine that were "inflammatory and do not reflect the ideals the character of Wonder Woman represents."

The petition further said, "As fans of the iconic DC Comics character, do not approve of a supporter of war crimes and genocide portraying her in this or any medium, and we will not pay to see the film unless Gadot is fired and her character is recast."

The matter has sparked much public debate on social media, with the World Jewish Congress hinting that the movie could have been banned for alternate reasons.

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TheWire
"Wonder Woman" continues to spark controversy following last year's petition that sought to ban the superhero character from being named Honorary Ambassador of Women and Girls.
wonder woman, arab, controversy, boycott
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2017-08-19
Monday, 19 June 2017 03:08 PM
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