Will she be subject to lashings? Will the new Vision 2030 program possibly allow her not to be lashed? Is this another step on the road to liberalization for Saudi Arabia? https://www.yahoo.com/news/video-saudi-woman-miniskirt-triggers-081033447.html World Video Of Saudi Woman In Miniskirt Triggers Probe Vishakha Sonawane,International Business Times 10 hours ago A woman in Saudi Arabia has become the center of an investigation in the Islamic kingdom after she posted a video of herself wearing a miniskirt and walking around empty streets, according to reports Monday. The video triggered debate in the country, with some praising the woman for her “bravery” while others called for her arrest. The video was posted over the weekend on Snapchat by the woman, who is a model called “Khulood,” according to BBC. In the video, she can be seen walking around the historic fort of Ushayqir — located north of Riyadh — in the Najd province. The woman wore a miniskirt and a black crop top flouting the deeply conservative Muslim country’s dress code. Read: Viral Feminist Pop Song Music Video In Saudi Arabia Calls For An End Of Men Women in Saudi Arabia, when in public, are required to wear long, loose robes called “abayas” and cover their hair and face with a veil. According to local Okaz newspaper, officials in Ushayqar urged the provincial governor and police to take action against the woman, who could end up behind bars for violating the country's dress code. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice — Saudi Arabia’s religious police — acknowledged on Twitter that it was aware of the video. It also said it was in touch with authorities over the issue which had triggered a debate over the dress code in the kingdom. Ibrahim al-Munayif, a Saudi writer who has over 41,000 Twitter followers, tweeted that letting people violate the law results in chaos. “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 in Arabic, according to the Associated Press. Journalist Khaled Zidan reportedly tweeted: "The return of the Haia [religious police] here is a must." Another Twitter user noted: "We should respect the laws of the country. In France, the niqab [face-covering veil] is banned and women are fined if they wear it. In Saudi Arabia, wearing abayas and modest clothing is part of the kingdom's laws." However, others came out in support of the woman and blamed the country’s conservative laws. One Twitter user superimposed a picture of Ivanka Trump's face on the woman’s body and tweeted: "Enough already, the situation has been solved." Others wrote that had the woman been a foreigner, people would be talking of her beauty, instead of calling for her arrest because she is Saudi Arabian. Wael al-Gassim, a writer and philosopher reportedly said he was "shocked to see those angry, scary tweets." "I thought she had bombed or killed somebody. The story turned out to be about her skirt, which they did not like. I am wondering how Vision 2030 can succeed if she is arrested," he added, referencing to the reform program announced last year by the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Here's more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...abia/?tid=pm_world_pop&utm_term=.44b809bd1ccd WorldViews Saudi woman who wore skirt in viral video has been arrested, state television reports By Adam Taylor July 18 at 10:26 AM Young woman arrested in Saudi Arabia for wearing 'suggestive clothing' Viral Snapchat video of a young woman wearing a short skirt in a conservative province in Saudi Arabia has led to her arrest, according to Saudi state television station Al Ekhbariya. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post) A young woman is at the center of a controversy about clothing in Saudi Arabia, after she posted videos of herself in one of the nation's most conservative provinces wearing a short skirt and a cropped top. The woman has been arrested by Riyadh police for wearing “suggestive clothing,” Saudi state television station Al Ekhbariya reported Tuesday. The brief clips, originally posted to the social network Snapchat over the weekend by a popular user named Khulood, show the woman walking through an ancient fort in Ushayqir, a village in Najd province about 95 miles from the capital, Riyadh. The woman wears a skirt that stops above her knees and a top that shows her midriff; her head is also uncovered. Such an outfit runs afoul of conservative Islamic ideas about women's dress that are prevalent in Saudi Arabia. The country legally requires women to cover themselves while in public by wearing an abaya, a loosefitting cloak. Traditionally, Saudi women are also expected to wear some kind of hijab or head covering, and some opt to cover their face with a niqab. Although foreigners are usually exempted from such rules and Saudi women often find ways to skirt them, many religiously conservative Saudis feel strongly about them. Ushayqir appears deserted in the videos, but Khulood's video soon spread online and quickly drew criticism — with many Saudis using a hashtag that said the woman should face trial for the videos. Some argued that as the woman lived in Saudi Arabia, she should accept its laws. “Just like we call on people to respect the laws of countries they travel to, people must also respect the laws of this country,” Saudi writer Ibrahim al-Munayif wrote on his Twitter account. But others offered their support for the woman, suggesting her behavior was brave and that prominent foreigners sometimes dress similarly when visiting Saudi Arabia, and they are exempted from the country's dress codes. Many of them pointed out that Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump did not wear abayas when they visited the country in May, to little public outcry. [Arabic Twitter] One user crudely pasted Ivanka Trump's face onto the woman. “We have solved the problem,” read the tweet, shared nearly 2,000 times. [Arabic Twitter] The exact fate of the woman remains unclear. Saudi newspaper Okaz had reported Sunday that local officials had written a letter to the region's governor and police asking to take action against those who made the video. Saudi Arabia's religious police also released a statement on Twitter saying they were aware of the video and looking into the matter. Saudi Arabia has some of the strictest laws for women in the world. In addition to the restrictions on their dress, adult women need to have permission of a “male guardian” to do things, such as work or travel, and they are prohibited from getting driver's licenses, meaning in practice they cannot drive. “Saudi Arabia’s continuing obsession with policing women’s clothing choices shows authorities haven’t moved on from the paternalistic and discriminatory mind-set that hampers women’s lives,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division. “Saudi Arabia’s purported plans to reshape society and advance women’s rights will never succeed as long as authorities go after women for what they wear.” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has launched an ambitious plan to reform Saudi Arabia's society — dubbed Vision 2030. Although the program includes some social aspects, such as the promotion of entertainment, there are doubts about whether it will be able to address the entrenched gender inequality. One poll conducted in 2014 found that 63 percent believed that women should wear a niqab that covers all of their face except their eyes, and just 3 percent thought women not covering their hair were dressed appropriately. More on WorldViews Trump once denounced Saudi Arabia as extremist. Now he’s heading there to promote moderate Islam. Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University. Follow @mradamtaylor
