Woman wearing short skirt in public causes uproar in Saudi Arabia - with some calling for her arrest
A video showing a woman wearing a short skirt walking around Saudi Arabia has caused uproar in the conservative Muslim country.
The woman, known only as ‘Khulood’ is also seen wearing a crop top as she walks around a historic fort in Ushayqir in the Najd province.
The area, which is situated nearly 100 miles north of capital Riyadh, is one of the most conservative regions in Saudi Arabia and is the birthplace of Wahhabism, the strict form of Islam practiced by the country’s royal family.
لو كانت اجنبية كان تغزلوا بجمال خصرها وفتنتة عيناها .. بس لانها سعودية يطلبوا محاكمتها ! #مطلوب_محاكمة_مودل_خلود
pic.twitter.com/ttYqynySN2— فاطمة العيسى (@50BM_) July 16, 2017
Initially posting the clip to Snapchat, Khulood’s video was quickly shared on Twitter and the response from Saudi citizens has been divided.
Some praised her “bravery”, while others demanded she be arrested for breaking the country’s strict dress code, which forces women to wear loose-fitting, full-length robes and a headscarf in public.
They are also banned from driving and are separated from men they are not related to.
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One user suggested that the Khulood should respect the laws of the land, writing: “In France, the niqab 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, writer Wael al-Gassim took an altogether different view, stating: ”I thought she had bombed or killed somebody.
“The story turned out to be about her skirt, which they did not like.”
Saudi newspapers reporting on the video have pixelated Khulood’s bare arms and legs, while the religious police, the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, said they were investigating.
Top pic: Twitter