Saudi Woman is Arrested for Hip-Hop Dance While Wearing a Niqab

The Riyadh Season Festival is generating a lot of buzz for all the right reasons. Under Saudi Vision 2030, the conservative kingdom is reducing the limitations on numerous rules, allowing guests to enjoy the event in the midst of promoting tourism and shifting the economy from oil to tourism.

One of the features is the gender segregation law, which allows travelers to enjoy all music and arts festivals side by side. But what challenges does the monarchy have in regulating and implementing it?

What is the biggest issue in implementation?

Saudi Arabia’s government is having trouble enforcing public decency regulations against both residents and visitors. Several cases of obscenity and breaches have been registered in a short period of time.

What were the preparations for the Riyadh festival?

Various arts, cultural, and music festivals are held throughout the country during the Riyadh season festival, which is scheduled to begin in October and last until December. It encompasses the capital’s 12 main zones as well as six branches throughout the city.

The authorities have disseminated an awareness message about the infringement of a penalty that explicitly specifies $800/- for sexual misbehavior.

What happened at the festival which is in the news?

Several videos were published on social media throughout the Riyadh festival, recording the performances of regular spectators on the music and event. However, due of her inappropriate dancing, a video of a woman wearing a niqab and abaya became viral.

In a mixed-gender event, the video plainly shows a woman dancing to hip-hop music. The audience applauded the bold steps and was taken aback by the performance.

Video

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Why the woman was ordered to arrest?

The woman’s angry steps drew a crowd, as well as higher officials who are busy imposing social and legal limitations on women in order to protect the traditional kingdom’s respectable position.

Is the woman arrested?

Her detention was authorized by the Saudi public prosecutor, according to media sources. The sentence is expected to be imposed on the lady once she is located and apprehended.

Are such incidents common in Saudi Arabia?

This is not a new occurrence in the kingdom. Several people have been convicted, fined, and imprisoned in Saudi Arabia in recent years for dancing in public, whether it was the dabbing, Macarena, or kiki challenge.

What was the dabbing incident?

In 2017, an incident involving a Saudi musician dabbing at a live concert went viral and made news across the Arab world. He was arrested for dabbing after the concert because the dancing resembled the act of sniffing drugs. At the time, Saudi officials warned him and released it.

Where did the Macarena incident occur?

In 2017, a teenager turned a local crosswalk on Tahlia Street in Jeddah into a dance floor solely for the purpose of performing the Macarena. The kid was brought into jail by the police and reported to the media for impeding traffic and breaking public standards. The child was supposed to face charges, but he was later freed with a warning.

Why Kiki challenge was in headlines?

The Kiki challenge, which involves people jumping out of moving automobiles and dancing to Canadian musician Drake’s song In My Feelings, made headlines in 2018. Under the violation act, a Saudi woman was arrested while executing the Kiki challenge in the Al-Khobar region.