01 November 2013
BEIRUT: General Security confiscated nun and priest Halloween costumes from several holiday-themed shops along the highway north of Beirut. The costumes were taken out of the shops because they insulted Christianity, according to an announcement from the National New Agency. The shops, located in Zouk Mikail, Hazmieh and Jal al-Dib were selling costume packages labeled Sexy Nun, which featured a woman on the cover wearing a faux-patent leather minidress with a cross across her chest and a matching habit.
In another confiscated costume, the model is wearing a nuns habit with a short dress and knee-high socks.
The sexiness of the costume was only part of the problem, as security forces also confiscated Catholic priest and nun costumes in full-length robes.
The website for several Christian organizations posted news of the costumes confiscations Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including the Lebanese Forces website and Tayyar.org, the site for Michel Aouns Free Patriotic Movement.
A statement by the countrys Catholic Center for Information called the costumes offensive to the Christian faith, and insulting to the symbols of Christianity.
General Securitys actions are unlikely to prevent revelers this weekend from wearing similar costumes of their own making. At last years Halloween party at the St. Georges, hosted by Mix FM, several patrons came dressed as priests.
In a separate incident of censorship, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that a gang of men pillaged a store in Zouk Mosbeh that was selling masks of MP Samir Geagea, head of the LF, and other March 14 officials. Citing nearby residents, Al-Akhbars report said the men entered the store, beat its owner and tore apart the premises.
This is the second time this year that clothing items insulting Christianity were taken off the shelves in Lebanon. In mid-April, a tank top that looked like a skeletal version of the Virgin Mary was blocked from selling at Bershka by its regional distributor. The shirt was actually depicting the Mexican saint of death.
Critics have largely made light of General Securitys decision to pull the Halloween costumes, asking if they might have more important things to do. Others on social media sites and personal blogs are citing the event as another instance of censorship.
Copyright The Daily Star 2013.
