Egyptian authorities have arrested a woman who danced in a racy music video that went viral on the internet and referred her to misdemeanor court for “inciting debauchery.”
The clip, a low-budget production entitled “Hands Off,” or “Sib Eddi” in Egyptian Arabic, contains no nudity but plenty of scantily clad booty-shaking by the woman, Reda el-Fouly, who dances to the voice of a singer called Mena.
Ahmed Bakly of the Giza prosecution said in a statement that the clip “disrupted morality.” He also ordered the arrest of Wael Elsedeki, whom he described as el-Fouly’s boyfriend who had left the country for Tunisia after some social media users called the video scandalous, as well as a third person involved in the video.
Egypt is one of several Islamic countries that enforce modest-dress laws in the Middle East. Last year, Qatar’s state-run Islamic Culture Center launched the “Reflect your Respect” campaign to encourage tourists to adhere to the country’s dress codes and to dress modestly.
In Iran, journalist Masih Alinejad launched a Facebook page called Stealthy Freedoms of Iranian Women that encouraged women to post photos of themselves without their headscarves.
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In January, Iran made international headlines after taking about 50 women into custody for violating the country’s public dress codes. Women in Iran can face up to 70 lashes for being seen in public in insufficiently modest clothing. They can also be sent to prison for two months.
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