DRESSING DOWN
Woman sparks fury in Saudi Arabia after filming herself walking around in a MINISKIRT… now the religious police may throw her in jail or even lash her
The six-second clip quickly went viral in the deeply conservative Muslim country
A YOUNG Saudi woman has sparked a storm in her hard-line homeland after posting a video of herself in a miniskirt and crop top walking in public.
The six-second clip - very tame by western standards - has even led to calls for her to be thrown into JAIL.
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State-linked news websites, in the deeply conservative Muslim country, report officials are looking into taking possible action against the woman, for "violating" the kingdom's dress rules.
Women in Saudi Arabia must wear long, loose robes known as abayas in public. Those that breach the rules face prison or face a public lashing.
Most also cover their hair and face with a black veil, though exceptions are made for visiting dignitaries.
The video, first shared on Snapchat, shows her walking around an empty historic fort in Ushaiager, north of the capital Riyadh - where many of the most conservative tribes and families live.
Competing Twitter hashtags emerged, with one demanding the woman's arrest and another asserting that freedom of dress should not be a crime.
Ibrahim al-Munayif, a Saudi writer with more than 41,000 followers on Twitter, wrote on his official account that allowing people to disobey the law leads to chaos.
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"Just like we call on people to respect the laws of countries they travel to, people must also respect the laws of this country," he wrote.
Others defended her by posting images from President Donald Trump's visit in May, in which First Lady Melania Trump and his daughter Ivanka, though modestly dressed in higher necklines and longer sleeves, shunned wearing a head cover or the abaya.
Ivanka's blonde tresses and attire sparked a Twitter hashtag during the president's visit, with Saudi males commenting on her looks and referring to the president as Abu Ivanka, meaning Ivanka's father.
One Twitter user, whose post was shared more than 1,700 times, superimposed an image of Ivanka's face on the young Saudi woman's body, writing: "Enough already, the situation has been solved."
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Others wrote that had the woman been a foreigner, people would be talking about her beauty, but because she is Saudi, they are calling for arrest.
The Saudi Okaz news website reported that officials in Ushaiager called on the region's governor and police to take actions against the woman in response to the video, without elaborating further.
Saudi news website Sabq reported that the kingdom's morality police had corresponded with other agencies to investigate further after the video was brought to their attention.
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Social media is wildly popular in Saudi Arabia as a space to vent frustrations and gauge public opinion.
With more than half of the population under 25, the country's young heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has pushed for greater openings for entertainment to appease the country's youth.
However, he still wants strict gender segregation rules and other restrictions on women's movement to remain in place.
EVERYDAY THINGS BANNED IN SAUDI ARABIA
For women
Drive a car....While there's no official law banning women from driving, the cultural values of the Kingdom do not permit it, arguing that female drivers, "undermine social values." However, various campaigns have protested against the sexist ban since the 1990s, and women can now drive their child to school or a family member to the hospital.
Interact with men...Women are not allowed to communicate with a male stranger, no matter where the setting is. It's for these reasons that universities, banks, modes of transportation and beaches are often segregated for both men and women, and anyone found breaching such rules is usually susceptible to a harsh prison sentence or public lashing.
Do certain jobs...Women are not permitted to work in specific jobs in Saudi Arabia, especially those that men traditionally carry out. Education or medical fields are the most common fields that women are permitted to work in. Hence, opportunities to teach English in Saudi Arabia are typically open to both women and men.
Compete freely in sports ...When Saudi women were first allowed to compete at the Olympic Games in 2012, the moral uproar it caused in their homeland led many to label the women "prostitutes" due to their beliefs that woman should not participate in any sport. Those who were brave enough to compete were forced to have a male guardian accompany them.
Open a bank account....Though Saudi Arabia has seen a welcome increase in women starting their own businesses and even running in local elections, they continue to be thwarted in their rights for complete freedom due to men still being needed for even the simplest of tasks, such as opening a bank account.
Walk outside uncovered....While men can pretty much wear whatever they want in a country that regularly reaches searing temperatures of 40 degrees+, women are forbidden from dressing in anything other than a traditional, full body-length robe. In fact, only their eyes and hands are allowed to show and any woman showing more flesh than permitted can expect to be dealt with by the strict religious police.
Wear makeup highlighting their beauty....Following a strict interpretation of Islamic law, women are seen as the object of lust and desire and are only safe when in the confines of their husbands home. What's more, women are expected not to flaunt any signs of beauty in public, and even the faintest of mascara or eye shadow can land them in big trouble.
Go anywhere without a male chaperone....Saudi women must always be accompanied by a male companion, who are known as 'Mahrams.' Usually, the Mahram will be a relative or husband who accompanies the woman on any outside trips, whether that be to the mall or a visit to the doctors.
Go for a swim...Due to the strict dress codes women must follow, swimming is impossible unless you happen to have a pool in your house. Tourists are allowed to use hotel pools but men and women in the water together is frowned upon.
Vote to the same extent as men...2015 was the first year that Saudi women could stand for or vote in municipal elections which gave them limited power in the council positions. Ultimate power still lies with the king of the country. Women cannot stand for or vote for higher positions of governance.
Buy a Barbie doll....Saudi censors deemed the toys 'immoral' due to their revealing clothes and provocative postures they represent excessive luxury so officially it is quite hard to get hold of them, although if you go to certain market places within the kingdom you can see shelves and shelves of them for sale.
Read fashion mags...Fashion is a complicated thing in a country where you are required to stay covered most of the time, and so fashion magazines are carefully edited and censored so that they do not represent many of their Western counterparts in order not to offend certain religious sensibilities.
Receive the same inheritance...Should someone die without a will, the law sees the estate portioned out between wife, family and children but female members of the family receive a smaller fraction than men as men are still seen as the head of the household, and it is they who will be taking charge of family affairs.
Marry without consent....Saudi women need their family's backing if they wish to marry someone so should they be disapproved of then a wedding simply isn't going to happen. Should they get married and then later want to have a divorce, they have a much harder time of it than men.
For men and women
Drink alcohol....It is illegal to produce it, import it, or consume it. Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country where there is a strict interpretation of the Koran. It is also the home of Mecca which is the most important sacred site within Islam. There are harsh punishments for those caught making or drinking alcohol in the Kingdom.
Be gay or have an affair....Homosexual acts and extra-marital sexual relations, including adultery, are illegal and can be subject to severe penalties. Women caught having an affair face more severe punishments then men.
Eat a bacon sarnie... All Muslims, under Islamic law, are not allowed to eat pork. Saudi’s expect non-Muslim foreign teachers to abide by this law while teaching in Saudi Arabia too, regardless of their own religious beliefs. It won't be too hard to follow this law though, as generally only “Halal” foods are allowed to enter the country.
Got to the movies...Unfortunately for film lovers, cinemas are near nonexistent, except in private residential camps. Movie theatres are a no-no for those devoted to Islam, as it supports the unsupervised mingling of men and women, which Muslims believe may lead to immoral actions outside of marriage.
Valentine's Day....This is not celebrated and individuals are prohibited from wearing or selling anything red on the 14th of February. Flower shops and gift shops are not allowed to sell roses or heart-shaped novelties either. Stores that refuse to abide by this law can be closed down, and students seen wearing something with a hint of red on are usually sent home from school to change clothes.
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