After receiving a complaint from the Saudi Arabian government, Netflix pulled an episode of Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj from the country last week, reports the Financial Times. The episode of the political comedy show originally aired last fall and was critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Minhaj opened the episode stating, “Now would be a good time to reassess our relationship with Saudi Arabia. And I mean that as a Muslim, and as an American.”
According to Financial Times, Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission requested the episode be removed because it violated the kingdom’s anti–cyber-crime law. Netflix told FT in a statement that it agreed to “comply with local law.”
The full Patriot Act episode was dedicated to criticizing the Saudi government. Minhaj addressed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is believed to have been killed on the crown prince’s behest; the ongoing war in Yemen, which has caused a humanitarian crisis; and the country’s financial influence over American tech companies.
“To those that continue to work with [Mohammed bin Salman], just know that with every deal you close you are simply helping entrench an absolute monarch under the guise of progress,” Minhaj said at the end of the episode. “Because ultimately MBS is not modernizing Saudi Arabia. The only thing he’s modernizing is Saudi dictatorship.”
You can still watch the full episode on YouTube:
