KUALA LUMPUR: Lebanon’s ban last week on the box office blockbuster Wonder Woman appears to have inspired other Middle Eastern nations to follow suit.
This week, the film’s screening was abruptly halted in Tunisia, while Algeria yanked it from a film festival there.
Jordan is now reportedly also contemplating whether or not to screen the film.
The decisions were made solely due to the movie’s lead actress Gal Gadot’s Israeli heritage.
In addition, Gadot, who served in the Israeli Defence Forces when she was 18 – as required by law for all young citizens – has been on record as being a strong supporter of the Jewish nation.
In a 2014 Facebook post, she praised the nation’s defence forces’ deadly military action in Gaza.
According to the Jerusalem Post, her patriotism even led the Tunisian Association of Young Lawyers to file a lawsuit on Monday, labelling Gadot a “champion Zionist."
The suit eventually led to the suspension of the movie in Tunisia, where it was set to hit theatres on Thursday.
The report also said that some Jordanians have been advocating for Jordan to follow in Lebanon’s footsteps.
Meanwhile, in Algeria, the movie was slated to play for the Nuits du Cinema Film Festival, but it was removed after a petition calling for its removal began circulating.
According to Variety.com, the festival’s organisers said the movie was pulled due to “administrative issues linked to exhibition rights.”
The organisers, however, stressed that the movie would be reinstated once all the issues are resolved.
Variety.com reported that the petition, titled “Non! Pas en Algeria” (No! Not in Algeria) began circulating after Lebanon banned the movie.
Lebanon was the first Arab country to ban Wonder Woman just hours before its premiere in Beirut.