The police in Saudi Arabia arrested a woman on Tuesday who appeared in an online video wearing a miniskirt and crop top, exposing her legs and midriff in violation of the country’s strict dress code for women in the country.
The video of the woman, identified online as Khulood, prompted a debate on social media soon after it was uploaded to Snapchat over the weekend. It was rapidly shared across the internet by people who supported her display and by those who opposed it, resulting in an official investigation.
The police in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, turned her over to the public prosecutor’s office, the kingdom’s state-run Alekhbariya television reported on its Twitter feed, using an Arabic hashtag that translates to “We demand a trial for the model Khulood.”
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Many of the responses on Twitter were critical. "Respect the laws," said user @1__shadow.
In response to calls for the woman’s arrest, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice wrote on Twitter on Mondaythat it had “intercepted a clip of a girl in inappropriate clothing” and had opened an investigation with the “relevant authorities.”
Saudi law imposes stringent rules on women’s appearance and behaviour. Saudi women are required to wear a black garment, called an abaya, that covers everything but the face, feet and hands. They must also keep their heads covered, and they are not permitted to drive or to socialize with men who are not related to them.
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Some people on Twitter also called the woman brave and accused Saudi Arabia of hypocrisy for often celebrating the beauty of foreign women while denigrating that of its own citizens.
(With PTI and AP Inputs)
