 |
Playboy is not new to Lebanon in general and the capital Beirut in particular. The U.S. magazine used to be sold freely in Beirut some 35 years ago, before the Lebanese civil war and the deterioration of the security conditions. After the political and economic conditions have improved, the publication marketers seem to believe that Lebanon is a good place for selling the magazine, as most of the people in Lebanon are not pious and do not mind buying such type of a magazine.
A senior Lebanese publication inspector, Colonel Antoinette Babi, said his department gave the green light for the magazine’s sale in Lebanon, provided that it is covered with a black plastic wrap with a warning that the magazine can be sold only to adults above 18. “The censorship department will watch the distributors and punish all those who do not meet the conditions set by the department,” she added.
 |
In an interview with the Lebanese Daily Star, Babi said, “there should be a distinction between the sex arousing and porn magazines, which are banned from entering Lebanon. Playboy and Perfection are neither immoral, nor pornographic, as some people believe. There are some good and exciting topics which such magazines address.”
She commented, “we do not give license for importing porn magazines and we know for sure that there are some people who illegally import such magazines and sell them secretly.”
Babi concluded the interview by saying “sex magazines permitted in Lebanon cannot be called pornographic in terms of text and pictures if compared to what is aired by satellite TV channels and published on the Internet.”
“There is demand for the magazine by many bookshops and many distributors inform their clients through e-mails about the possibility of delivering the magazine to their residence with a black cover in order to protect their privacy,” a Playboy distributor in Lebanon said.
 |
It is noteworthy to mention that three sex magazines are currently sold in Lebanon including Playboy, Perfection and Perfect 10 in addition to Ultra for Men, which has recently been permitted into the country.
Many people, of course, are opposed to the Lebanese government move regarding Playboy. “When Playboy issues are stacked on the bookshops’ shelves, many nude pictures go to the fashion houses which in turn convey them to girls and so on,” Ali al Aaraj wrote in the Saudi daily al Watan.
Finally, two questions arise: first, how many Arab countries have permitted porn magazines into their lands despite their denial publicly and secondly, will Playboy invade another Arab capital after Uncle Sam invades the Iraqi capital, Baghdad? (Albawaba.com)
