DUBAI, May 1: After censoring five scenes, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted its ban on the Oscar winning film The English Patient. The romantic World War II-based film set in the Sahara desert which won nine Academy Awards in Los Angeles last month, on Tuesday dominated the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony in London.

The film was banned three days after its opening in the UAE after an official of the country's Ministry of Information and Culture took offence over some scenes which showed Islamic morals in poor light. One clip in the film showed a sex scene with the sound of the Azaan or Muslim call to prayer in the background.

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