evidence: The movie, which opened globally in July and has raked in $1.34 billion at the box office, was the latest targeted by the region’s censors. There was no official reason given for delays, but many speculated they were so cuts could be negotiated. "Barbie" opened in August in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain. (Any alterations were not immediately apparent, and Warner Bros. had no comment about the delays.) [...] The country’s minister of culture, Mohammad Mortada, called on the censorship board to block "Barbie" because he said it "promotes sexual deviance and transsexuality," employing a slur to refer to gay people. Mortada — affiliated with the Lebanese militant group and Shiite political party Hezbollah, which the U.S. deems a terrorist organization — also said the movie "challenged traditional gender norms, while also criticizing the concept of male guardianship and ridiculing the role of mothers." [...] Even in countries where "Barbie" was shown, politicians pushed authorities to revoke its permissions. One Jordanian lawmaker wanted it banned because it supported "wrong ideas like homosexuality and feminism." In Bahrain, Hassan Husseini, an Islamic preacher with millions of followers on social media, castigated the movie for "revolting against the idea of marriage and motherhood" and its depiction of men "without manhood." Others said the film peddled "Western deviances" such as undermining traditional gender norms.