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{{Infobox character
| colour        = #F0E78C
| name          = Borat Sagdiyev<br /> Борат Сағдиев
| series        = [[Borat|Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan]]
| image         = [[File:Borat in Cologne.jpg|250px]]
| caption       = Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev at the [[Germany|German]] premiere of ''Borat'' in 2006
| first         = ''[[F2F (TV series)|F2F]]''
| last          = ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]] December 8, 2015''
| creator       = Sacha Baron Cohen
| portrayer     = [[Sacha Baron Cohen]]
| born          = {{birth date and age|1972|2|27}}
| occupation    = [[Journalist]] / [[broadcasting|broadcaster]], [[singer]], [[actor]]
| parents       = Asimbala Sagdiyev <small>(mother)</small><br />Boltok <small>(father / grandfather / uncle / brother)</small>
| siblings      = Natalya Sagdiyev <small>(sister)</small><br />Bilo Sagdiyev <small>(brother)</small><br>Lilya Utbarkan <small>(half sister)</small><br />Unnamed sisters<br />Unnamed half-sister
| spouse        = Oksana <small>(deceased)</small><br />Ludmilla<br />[[Luenell]] (2006–present)
| children      = Hooeylewis <small>(son)</small><br />Biram <small>(son)</small><br />Bilak <small>(son)</small>
| grandchildren = Seventeen (unnamed)
| residence     = [[Albania]] (earlier), [[Kazakhstan]] (later)
| fans          = Vikas Pandey, Rakshit Mathur, Sahil Pal
| nationality   = [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]]
}}
'''Borat Sagdiyev''' ({{lang-kk|Борат Сағдиев}}, {{lang-ru|Борат Сагдиев}}; born February 27, 1972) is a [[Satire|satirical]] character, created and performed by comedian [[Sacha Baron Cohen]]. He is a [[Kazakhstan|Kazakh]] journalist and is the main protagonist of ''[[Borat|Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan]]''.

Borat's sense of humour derives from his mocking of society through outrageous sociocultural viewpoints, his violation of social taboos and use of vulgar language and behaviour.  ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "The Kazakhstani journalist gave us some of the most incisive cultural commentary ever filmed. That, and a wrestling match between butt-naked men. Something for everyone."<ref>Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "The 100 greatest movies, TV shows, albums, books, characters, scenes, episodes, songs, dresses, music videos, and trends that entertained us over the past 10 years". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84</ref>

==Origins==
The character was first developed for short skits on ''[[F2F (TV series)|F2F]]'' on [[Granada Television]] that Baron Cohen presented in 1996–1997, with the character at this time being known as Alexi.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18105176 |title=Sacha Baron Cohen on mocking 'hilarious' Gaddafi
|author=BBC News |date=2012-05-18}}</ref> The character, now known as Christo<ref name="Early Borat Video">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1xphVAkhSo&list=LLWIC1_K7yLhAGW0nMcOK7GA&index=1&feature=plpp_video|title=Early Borat Video|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2012-01-05|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name="Early Sasha Baron Cohen Video">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9YCkRlB26E&index=1&feature=plpp_video|title=Early Sasha Baron Cohen Video|publisher=Talk TV|accessdate=2012-05-06|deadurl=no}}</ref> was then picked up by [[Paramount Comedy 1]] and then subsequently by [[BBC Two]]'s Comedy Nation. These early versions of Borat were nearly identical in looks and demeanor to the later incarnation, but the character claimed to be from [[Albania]]<ref name="Early Ali G and Borat video!">{{cite web|url=http://www.boyakasha.co.uk/borat/early-ali-g-and-borat-video|title=Early Ali G and Borat video!|publisher=boyakasha.co.uk|accessdate=2011-03-21|deadurl=no}}</ref> rather than [[Kazakhstan]].<ref>{{Cite book
|url=http://www.lexingtonbooks.com/Catalog/SingleBook.shtml?command=Search&db=^DB/CATALOG.db&eqSKUdata=978-0-7391-2336-2
|title=The Many Faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: Politics, Parody, and the Battle over Borat
|author=Robert A. Saunders
|publisher=Lexington Books
|year=2008
|page=42
| isbn=978-0-7391-2336-2 }}</ref> The character remained dormant while Baron Cohen concentrated on his [[Ali G]] persona for [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[The 11 O'Clock Show]]'', but with the subsequent success of Ali G and the creation of ''[[Da Ali G Show]]'' (also on Channel 4) Baron Cohen revisited his Borat character.

==Fictional character biography==
Borat claims to have been born  on February 27, 1972 in the fictional village of Kuzcek, [[Kazakh SSR]] to Asimbala Sagdiyev and Boltok the Rapist (who is also stated to be his paternal grandfather, uncle and former father-in-law until the demise of Oksana);<ref>inside jacket flap, ''Borat: Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan''</ref> he says his mother gave birth to him when she was nine years old. She is shown as an extremely short old lady (revealed to be forty-three years old) in his 2006 mockumentary film, where he gives the viewer a guided tour of his hometown. He has a thirteen-year-old son named Hooeylewis (inspired by [[Huey Lewis]]), twelve-year-old twin boys named Bilak and Biram, and seventeen grandchildren. He has a sister, Natalya, whom at different times he has described her as the "number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan"; another sister who appears to be a very young teenage girl is shown in the beginning of ''Borat's Guide to Britain''. It is indicated in an interview with a [[general practitioner]] that he caught [[syphilis]] from his sister during a Kazakh folk festival. He also has a younger brother, Bilo, who is [[intellectual disability|intellectually disabled]] and kept away locked in a cage. Bilo was not always intellectually disabled, but rather, Borat has stated that Bilo became disabled during an exorcism, when another brother of Borat's tried to release a demon from Bilo through the traditional Kazakh remedy of opening the skull and sticking the tooth of a red-haired woman in the brain.

It is unknown how many times Borat has been married, after first having been betrothed to his half-sister's Plough while in his teens. One of his wives (Ludmilla) is said to have been shot by a hunter when he mistook her for a bear as she ploughed the fields. His former wife, Oksana, is reported in the ''Borat'' film to have been attacked, "violated", and "broken" by a bear while taking his brother Bilo for a walk in the forest. Borat is not saddened by the tragedy; he thanks the man who brings him this "good news" by giving him a [[high five]] and celebrates his new-found freedom by pursuing Baywatch star [[Pamela Anderson]] and eventually reunites with and marries [[Luenell]], an African-American prostitute he met whilst filming his documentary.

According to various in-character interviews with Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat attended [[Astana]] University, where he studied English, journalism and [[Plague (disease)|plague]] research. He created five new plagues which "killed over five million goats in [[Uzbekistan]]."<ref name="CNN_interview">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/27/becky.borat/index.html|title=When CNN's Becky met Borat|publisher=CNN|date=2006-10-28|accessdate=2007-07-17}}</ref> Prior to his plague research, Borat worked as an ice maker, gypsy catcher, animal puller (one who produces semen from animals) and computer maintenance engineer (specifically, removing dead birds which had nested in the vents in the computer's casing).<ref name="Jobs">{{cite web|url=http://boratmovieonline.com/careerandskills.php|title=Borat's Career and Skills|publisher=BoratMovieOnline.com|accessdate=2007-07-17|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930002935/http://boratmovieonline.com/careerandskills.php |archivedate = September 30, 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref> He now works as a professional journalist and announcer on Kazakh television. This job "helps Borat and other Kazakhs express themselves in ways they otherwise would not have been able to do."

Although nominally [[paganism|Zoroastrian]] most of his life, sometimes remarking that his people "follow the [[Flag of Kazakhstan|hawk]]", the hawk and man on chariot or Farahavar simbol identified with Iranian Zoroastrianism.

In the 2006 mockumentary film, he attends a [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] church service and later converts his entire village to Christianity. Borat greatly admires the political views of [[Joseph Stalin]], and claims that both he and Stalin are strong men with powerful "khram" (genitals). He is strongly opposed to [[women's rights]] and was quite aghast upon learning of [[women's suffrage]] (stating that government scientist Dr. Yamak says a woman has a "brain the size of squirrel"). He frequently comments that it (woman's suffrage) is like "a monkey driving a car" or "a monkey with a gun". In his spare time, he enjoys playing [[table tennis|ping pong]], sunbathing while clad in a lime green "[[bikini|mankini]]", disco dancing, spitting, sitting on comfortable chairs, shooting dogs, and taking pictures of women while they "make a toilet". He also enjoys hunting Jews in his homeland. He is particularly fond of "[[Oral sex|mouth-party]]" and "[[Handjob|hand-party]]". Borat also states that he "very much like Korki Buchek" (who is a fictitious musician) and sex, which he likes to call "sexy time".

However, Kathleen Tracy states in her book ''Sacha Baron Cohen, the Unauthorized Biography: from Cambridge to Kazakhstan'' that the character Borat was never intended to be entirely consistent, meaning that incongruities in Borat's personal details can be noticed if they are examined closely.

Sacha Baron Cohen retired Borat due to widespread recognition, and used [[Brüno Gehard|Brüno]] as his "proper" alter ego, but this character has also been retired.

==''Da Ali G Show''==
In each episode of ''Da Ali G Show'', Borat is shown doing satirical interviews with often unwitting subjects in the United Kingdom and the United States. The segments were shot in low-quality video to maintain the satirical feel of poor quality television (similar to [[Chanel 9]] segments on ''[[The Fast Show]]'').

The Borat segments on ''Da Ali G Show'' use a rock rendition of a Russian folk tune, "[[Korobeiniki]]", as the theme song.

===Guide to Britain===
Shown as part of a six-part Ali G show originally on Channel 4 (UK) in March 2000.

Five Borat sketches were shown, in the form of "Guides" to "Etiquette", Hunting, [[Cambridge]], [[Edinburgh]] and [[Henley Royal Regatta|Henley]]. The "Guides" to "English Gentlemen", "Politics" and "Sport" were also filmed at this time but released at a later date as part of ''Ali G'' DVDs. The Cambridge sketch is the only major Borat material from this series not to have made it onto the compilation DVDs.

===Guide to USA 1===
Shown as part of a six-part ''Ali G Show'' originally on HBO (USA) in February 2003. This series was screened and released in the UK as ''Ali G In The USAiii''.

Six Borat sketches were shown in the form of "Guides" to "Dating",
"Etiquette", "Acting", "Men", "Baseballs" and "The (Deep) South". A "Guide to Animals" was filmed but released at a later date as part of an ''Ali G'' DVD. ([[Alyssa Greenfill]] was his co-star.)

===Guide to USA 2===
Shown as part of a six-part ''Ali G Show'' originally on HBO (USA) in July 2004. (Channel 4 was the UK channel where Ali G and Borat originally appeared, and the series for America was a joint HBO/Channel 4 co-production). This series was re-edited for the UK to remove all the Ali G material, becoming two prime-time ''Borat's Television Programme'' specials for Channel 4. These specials also embodied the Brüno segments from the series and Borat's "Guide To Hunting", not screened in the US version. The uncut second series as it appeared on HBO was later given a UK courtesy transmission on digital channel E4.

Six Borat sketches were shown in the form of "Guides" to "Wine Tasting", "Politics", "Country Music", "Hobbies", "Buying a House" and "Jobs" (careers), with "Hunting" airing in the UK only.

==Films==

===''Ali G Indahouse''===
Borat had a small role in Baron Cohen's film ''[[Ali G Indahouse]]'' as a Kazakhstani diplomat, in which he greets Baron Cohen's other character [[Ali G]] with a hug and kiss, but is rebuffed and accused of being a [[Homosexuality|homosexual]] "[[batty boy]]", thus calls Ali G a "cocksucker".

===''Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan''===
{{Main|Borat}}
[[File:Borat ComicCon 2006.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Borat at the [[San Diego Comic-Con International]] in 2006.]]
Subtitled ''Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'', the film ''[[Borat]]'' is [[mockumentary]] comedy. Most of those appearing in the film are not paid performers, but real people whom Borat met on his journey.<ref name=Salon>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2006/11/10/guide_to_borat/index.html |publisher=Salon.com |author=David Marchese and Willa Manu |title=What's real in Borat? |date=2006-11-10 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420115413/http://www.salon.com:80/ent/feature/2006/11/10/guide_to_borat/index.html |archivedate=2008-04-20 |df= }}</ref> The film was distributed by [[20th Century Fox]], and directed by [[Larry Charles]]. It premiered at the 2006 [[Toronto International Film Festival]], and was released across Europe on 2 November 2006 and North America on 3 November 2006.

The film follows Borat in his travels across the United States, as he commits cultural [[wiktionary:solecism|solecisms]] and exposes a few American ones. Over the course of the film, Borat falls in love with [[Pamela Anderson]] after watching a rerun of ''[[Baywatch]]'', and vows to make her his wife.

The film opened at #1 in the U.S., taking in [[USD|$]]26.4 million on a limited release of 837 screens during its first weekend, beating ''[[Fahrenheit 9/11]]'' as the biggest opening weekend for a film released in fewer than 1,000 cinemas. Baron Cohen celebrated the release of the film with a host of promotional in-character interviews.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.stv.tv/out/showArticle.jsp?source=opencms&articleId=/out/dontmiss/Borat
| title = Borat interview
| accessdate = 2006-12-22
| work = STV
| publisher = SMG, PLC.
}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The film expanded its release on the second weekend to 2,566 screens, where it took in an additional $29 million.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2006/BORAT.php
| title = Movie Borat
| accessdate = 2006-12-22
| work = The Numbers
| publisher = Nash Information Services, LLC.
}}</ref>

In 2007, Baron Cohen won a [[Golden Globe]] for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy". With a production budget of $18,000,000 the film has grossed $128,501,044 in the United States of America and another $128,848,505 internationally, for  a worldwide gross of $257,349,549 by mid-March 2007.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=borat.htm Boxofficemojo page on Borat's earnings]</ref>

==Book==
In 2007, a book from Baron Cohen was released, titled ''Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan/Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A.'', with humour about both countries in a similar vein to the movie.<ref name="EW">{{cite news | url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20156321,00.html | title=Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and...Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2007) | publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=November 2, 2007 | accessdate=October 29, 2011 | author=Wolk, Josh}}</ref>

==Fate==
Sacha Baron Cohen has stated that the character of Borat, alongside his [[Ali G]] character, will be retired.<ref name="shed">[https://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20071221/119828847600.html Yahoo Movies: Sacha Baron Cohen to shed Borat persona for good] Yahoo, 21 December 2007</ref> Borat's last appearances were at ''Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Event for Autism Education 2006'' television special and an online public service announcement  ahead of the 2008 United States elections.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBCpt4D0SuU YouTube - Don't Vote (Starring Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Borat & More)]</ref> However, to promote the trailer release of his new film ''[[Grimsby (film)|Grimsby]]'', Baron Cohen appeared in character as Borat on ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live]]''.

==Criticism and controversy==
{{See also|Da Ali G Show#Controversy}}

===Criticized as unfair smear against Kazakhstan===
There have been arguments that the film's portrayal of the people of [[Kazakhstan]] is unfair and unjustified.

In August 2004, the [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Kazakhstan]], addressing an international religious conference in [[Brussels]], stated that in 10 years in the country he had never faced [[anti-Semitism]]. He praised the Government of Kazakhstan for its treatment of the Jewish community.

On 19 October 2006, the [[BBC]] reported that Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Rakhat Aliyev, had invited Cohen to visit Kazakhstan to see how inaccurate his portrayals were. In an interview, Aliyev asserted that:

<blockquote>His trip could yield a lot of discoveries—that women not only travel inside buses but also drive their own cars, that we make [[Kazakh wine|wine]] from grapes, that Jews can freely attend [[synagogue]]s and so on.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6066040.stm | work=BBC News | title=Kazakh invite for Borat creator | date=2006-10-19 | accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref></blockquote>

===Denigration of Roma===
Borat's movie has been accused of promoting [[antiziganism]]. The film has been criticized for several scenes portraying Borat's fictional Kazakhstani village which were actually filmed in the impoverished Roma village of [[Moroeni|Glod]] in [[Romania]]. ''[[USA Today]]'' reports that poverty-stricken villagers were offered between $3.30 and $5.50 to bring animals into their houses and other gag scenes for the movie that some people described as humiliating.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Now Romanians say 'Borat' misled them
| url = http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-11-14-romanians-borat_x.htm
| work = USA Today
| publisher = Gannett Co, Inc.
| date = 2006-11-15
| accessdate = 2006-12-22
}}</ref> The studio contends that participants were paid double the rate recommended by the Romanian film office for extras.  Additionally, Baron Cohen personally donated $5,000 to the village, as well as computers and school supplies.<ref name="abclocal">[http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=entertainment&id=4825647 "NYC Judge Questions Viability Of Villagers' 'Borat' Lawsuit"]</ref>

Two villagers of Glod hired controversial<ref name=stealing>Fuchs, Mary (June 24, 2009). "[http://www.webcitation.org/5nBZzjlwP?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nj.com%2Fnews%2Findex.ssf%2F2009%2F06%2Fthe_lawyer_who_represented_hol.html Lawyer Edward Fagan is disbarred in N.J. for misusing Holocaust victims' funds]". ''New Jersey Real-Time News''. Retrieved on October 14, 2009.</ref> [[Reparation (legal)|reparation]] attorney [[Ed Fagan]] to sue the makers of the film for $30 million for [[human rights]] abuses. Fagan intended to submit lawsuits in New York and Florida state courts, as well as in [[Frankfurt, Germany]]. Fagan said that he hoped to "teach Hollywood a very expensive lesson." The lawsuit was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in a hearing in early December 2006 on the ground that the charges were too vague to stand up in court.<ref name="abclocal" /> Fagan planned to refile, but has since been disbarred.<ref name="stealing" />

===Denigration of Jews===
The Borat character has been accused of [[anti-Semitism]] but Baron Cohen, himself a [[Jews|Jew]], has explained that the segments are a "dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity, as much as rabid bigotry."<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060908/115774501000.html
| title = "Borat" satire turns to farce at Toronto festival
| accessdate = 2006-12-22
| date = 2006-09-08
| work = Reuters Movie News
| publisher = Reuters Limited
}}</ref> "Borat essentially works a tool. By himself pretending to be anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice," Baron Cohen explained to ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref name="finally_speaks/page/2">{{cite news
| url = http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/sacha_baron_cohen_the_real_borat_finally_speaks/page/2
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061219060600/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/sacha_baron_cohen_the_real_borat_finally_speaks/page/2
| archivedate = 2006-12-19
| title = The Man Behind The Mustache
| accessdate = 2006-12-22
| last = Strauss
| first = Neil
| date = 2006-11-14
| work = Rolling Stone
| publisher = Rolling Stone
}}</ref> Baron Cohen, the grandson of a [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] survivor, says he wishes in particular to expose the role of indifference:

{{quote|When I was in university, there was this major historian of the [[Third Reich]], [[Ian Kershaw]], who said, 'The path to [[Auschwitz]] was paved with indifference.' I know it's not very funny being a comedian talking about the Holocaust, but it's an interesting idea that not everyone in Germany had to be a raving anti-Semite. They just had to be apathetic.<ref name="finally_speaks/page/2"/>}}

(The actual line from Kershaw’s 1983 book ''Popular Opinion and Political Dissent in the Third Reich'' was that "the road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference")<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=QAPmule8mdcC&q=paved#v=snippet&q=paved&f=false Evans, Kershaw ''Popular Opinion and Political Dissent in the Third Reich: Bavaria 1933-1945'', Oxford University Press, 2002, page 277]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UZgiAQAAIAAJ&q=paved#search_anchor Evans, Richard ''In Hitler's Shadow'', New York, NY: Pantheon, 1989 page 71]</ref><ref>Marrus, Michael ''The Holocaust in History'', Toronto: KeyPorter, 2000 page 91.</ref>

However, the [[Anti-Defamation League]], a United States-based group that “...combat[s] anti-Semitism and bigotry of all kinds”, complained to [[HBO]] after Borat performed his [[country western]] song "[[In My Country There Is Problem]]". It called on people to "throw the Jew down the well", warning that "you must be careful of his teeth" and that "you must grab him by his money", and was welcomed with applause and participation by some members of an audience in [[Tucson, Arizona]]. The full chorus goes: "Throw the Jew down the well / So my country can be free / You must grab him by his horns / Then we have a big party."<ref>[http://www.adl.org/media_watch/tv/20040809-hbo.htm Letter to Sacha Baron Cohen ("Ali G")]</ref><ref>[http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/4898_00.htm Statement On The Comedy Of Sacha Baron Cohen, A.K.A. "Borat"]</ref> Regarding the enthusiastic response to "In My Country There Is Problem", he says, "Did it reveal that they were anti-Semitic? Perhaps. But maybe it just revealed that they were indifferent to anti-Semitism."

In another scene, Borat visits the Serengeti Range ranch in Texas, where the owner of the ranch confides that he believes the Holocaust was a necessity for Germany. He further implies that he would have no moral qualms about running a ranch where people can hunt, in Borat's words, "deer... then Jew."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/747876/duluth_newstribune_minn_robin_washington_column_borat_ruse_leads_to/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102035900/http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/747876/duluth_newstribune_minn_robin_washington_column_borat_ruse_leads_to/|dead-url=yes|archive-date=2 January 2016|first=Sam|last=Savage|title=''Borat'' Ruse Leads to Texas Soul-Searching|work=The Duluth News-Tribune|location=Minnesota|date=29 November 2006|accessdate=1 January 2016}}</ref>

An interview with [[James Broadwater]], an [[evangelical Christian]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate for the [[Congress of the United States|United States' Congress]] from [[Mississippi]], caused Broadwater to receive some hate emails after an episode of ''Da Ali G Show'' aired in which Broadwater stated that all non-Christians (including Jews) will go to [[Hell]]. He was told that the interview would be played in foreign countries to teach others about the American political system. Broadwater later posted a letter on his website denouncing ''Da Ali G Show,'' explaining that his statement referred to a theological belief that anyone that "accepts [[Jesus Christ]] as Lord and Saviour will spend eternity in [[Heaven]], while everyone who rejects Him will spend eternity in Hell." Broadwater did not apologise for his comments. Instead, he insisted that "the liberal, anti-God media needs to be brought under the strict control of the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]], and that as soon as possible."<ref>[http://www.webgeordie.co.uk/borat/broadwater.htm The Unofficial Borat Homepage | Behind the Scenes: James Broadwater]</ref>

In the film, Borat continues his anti-Semitic stance. When he mentions his decision to avoid flying while in America, Borat says that his colleague "insists we not fly in case the [[9/11 conspiracy theories#Jewish and Israeli involvement|Jews repeat]] their attack of [[September 11 attacks|9/11]]". Later, he finds himself in a bed & breakfast run by a kind elderly Jewish couple. He tries to "escape", and throws money at two cockroaches that have crawled into his room, apparently believing that the Jewish hosts have [[Shapeshifting|shapeshifted]] into the tiny cockroaches. He was amazed that they had managed to look human, and states that one "can hardly see their horns". Borat is completely oblivious to his hosts' religious beliefs when he first meets them, despite how obvious it is: the man wears a [[kippah]] and the woman openly displays her paintings of Jewish people all over the house. Borat does not understand until the woman explicitly states to him: "I'm Jewish."

The film has enjoyed particular success in [[Israel]] because Israeli filmgoers understand what Borat is really saying when he is supposedly spouting Kazakh: throughout the film, Borat speaks fluent [[Hebrew]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1975928,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Secret of Borat's fluent Kazakh - it's Hebrew | date=2006-12-20 | accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>

===Iraq War sarcasm===
In January 2005, after convincing the authorities that he was shooting a documentary film, Cohen managed to infuriate a crowd at a [[rodeo]] in [[Salem, Virginia]]. Even though the crowd first cheered at the beginning of his statements of support for the [[Iraq war]]:<ref>[http://www.jahozafat.com/php/sounds/?id=bst&media=MP3S&type=Movies&movie=Borat&quote=canisayfirst.txt&file=canisayfirst.mp3 Jahozafat.com - Borat: canisayfirst.mp3]</ref>

{{quote|My name a Borat. I come from Kazakhstan. Can I say first, we support your [[War on Terror#Criticism|War of Terror]]! May we show our support to our boys in Iraq! May U.S. and A. kill every single terrorist! May George Bush drink the blood of every single man, woman and child of Iraq! May you destroy their country so that for the next thousand years not even a single lizard will survive in their desert!}}

He then went on to sing an off-key rendition of "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" with the lyrics replaced by those of a fictitious "[[Kazakh national anthem]]", beginning with "Kazakhstan is the greatest country in the world / All other countries are run by little girls..."

"If he had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him," said one witness. "People were booing him, [[Finger (gesture)|flipping him off]]." For his own safety, Cohen was escorted from the venue (much of the event appears in the movie).<ref>[http://archive.is/20120909141906/http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/16655.html "Rodeo in Salem gets unexpected song rendition"], ''The Roanoke Times'', 9 January 2005.</ref> A credible news report about the incident, aired on a local television station, is included in the DVD extras.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Borat Sagdiyev}}
{{wikiquote}}

* [http://www.boratonline.co.uk/ boratonline.co.uk] Semi-official Borat site since 1999 - contains interviews with Dan Mazer and Sacha Baron Cohen
* {{IMDb title|id=0443453|title=Borat}}

;Articles
* [http://www.webgeordie.co.uk/borat/interview01.htm Interview with Dan Mazer about Borat, Producer of Da Ali G Show] on 23 April 2003 on boratonline.co.uk
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140222210545/http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040920ta_talk_radosh "The Borat Doctrine"] posted 13 September 2004 in ''[[The New Yorker]]''
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/14/entertainment/main666985.shtml "'Ali G' Comedian Riles Rodeo Crowd"] on 14 January 2005 on ''[[CBS News]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060216051713/http://www.foreignaffairs.org:80/20051228faupdate85176/kenneth-neil-cukier/no-joke.html "No Joke"] by Kenneth Neil Cukier on 28 December 2005 in ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'', on what the removal of the Borat site from the .kz domain portends for the administration of the global [[domain name system]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070220152535/http://blog.gotuit.com/index.php/2006/11/01/start-your-weekend-with-a-laugh/ Borat on Gotuit Video]
* [https://archive.is/20121208192442/http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=25279&id=28405 And Now for the World According to Borat and Sacha Baron Cohen]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061104165731/http://www.ecranlarge.com/interview-365.php "Borat in Paris"] on 9 October 2006
* [http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1886886,00.html "Offensive and unfair, Borat's antics leave a nasty aftertaste"] by Kazakhstan Ambassador Erlan Idrissov on 4 October 2006 in ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100716211757/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15175836/site/newsweek "Behind the Schemes"], [[Newsweek]], 16 October 2006 (profiling several people who became unwitting Borat [[punch line]]s)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061110013046/http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=308 "Borat vs. Kazakhstan"], brandchannel, 30 October 2006 (discusses Borat's affect on Westerners' perception of Kazakhstan)
* [https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/play.html?pg=4 "Mahir to Borat: I Sue You!"], Wired, November 2006 (Q&A with Borat lookalike Mahir Cagri)   [http://celebs.electronicnewsnetwork.com/sacha-cohen/ "Can Borat be Sued by (Mahir Cagri)?"], Electronic News Network, November 2006 (evidence Borat was developed before Mahir Cagri's internet fame)
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-2436462.html "We survived Stalin and we can certainly overcome Borat's slurs"] by Kazakhstan Ambassador Erlan Idrissov on 4 November 2006 in ''[[The Times]]''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031649/http://silencedmajority.org/people/borat2.htm "Borat 2 - A satirical explanation of the Borat movie."]

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{{Sacha Baron Cohen}}
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[[Category:Comedy film characters]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1996]]
[[Category:Fictional immigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Fictional interviewers]]
[[Category:Fictional offspring of incestuous relationships]]
[[Category:Fictional reporters]]
[[Category:Fictional television personalities]]
[[Category:Fictional Kazakhstani people]]