Chasing the 'wild': Saudi authorities to investigate video of model walking in miniskirt
The models Snapchat video wearing a mini skirt has stirred a debate in the conservative kingdom
(Web Desk) - A young endearing Saudi woman shared a Snapchat of herself wearing a miniskirt. In a short video clip the woman, a model called Khulood, is seen walking alone around an empty historic fort in Ushayqir Heritage Village, about 155km north of the capital Riyadh.
The footage has been shared widely on social media stirring a debate with some siding the model by praising her ‘bravery’. However, others have called for her arrest for breaking the conservative Muslim country’s strict dress code for women, according to a BBC report.
— (@50BM_) July 16, 2017
It is mandatory for every woman in Saudi Arabia, to wear loose-fitting clothes in public. Women are obliged to wear full-length robes called ‘abayaas’, as well as a headscarf.
Dozens of Saudis were seen debating on Twitter, where opinions were divided with competing twitter hashtags between those who were in favor of Khulood on her choice of clothing and others, who believed she should be punished.
Journalist Khaled Zidan tweeted, “The return of the Haia [religious police] here is a must.”
Mandatory public attire for women in Saudi Arabia. Photo Credit: AlJazeera
Other twitter users argued: “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.”
Wael al-Gassim, a Saudi writer and philosopher said he was, “shocked to see those angry, scary tweets.”
Referring to the reformation of Saudi Arabia that was unveiled last year by the newly appointed 31-year-old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, al-Gassim said, "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."
Some tweets were in defense of the girl, by saying that even the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, and daughter, Ivanka, chose not wear abayas and headscarves during the official US President’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May.
Others said, people would be talking about her beauty had it been a foreigner, but because she’s a Saudi, everyone is calling for her arrest.
Okaz newspaper reported on the story saying officials in Ushayqar have called on the provincial governor and police to take action against the woman.
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, one of the religious police wrote on Twitter that they were aware of the video and were in coordination with the competent authorities.
.https://t.co/WCZBqLN2e8 pic.twitter.com/rD78JeAgUa
— (@PvGovSa) July 16, 2017
