Egypt detains female singer for video inciting debauchery

CAIRO — Egyptian prosecutors order the detention of a little-known female singer over a racy video posted online, the second female singer to face legal action within a month.

The prosecutors charge Laila Amer with violating public decency and inciting debauchery in the video, titled “Bos Omak,” or “Look at Your Mother” a pun on a popular Arabic profanity. She was arrested Wednesday.

Amer appears in the three-minute clip belly dancing and making provocative gestures. It shows her playing a downtrodden housewife complaining to her husband about his bossy mother.

Lawyer Ahmed Mahran, who filed a complaint with authorities over the video, said the clip contributed to “destroying morality and disseminating vice.”

Egypt’s musicians union cancels Amer’s membership and says in a statement that her video is “an insult to the Egyptian people,” according to the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.

— AP

Most Popular
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.