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Woman arrested for wearing 'immodest' clothes in Saudi Arabia

by IBNS 19 Jul 2017, 11:00 am

Riyadh, July 19 (IBNS): Saudi police arrested a woman for wearing 'immodest' clothes in public and taking a tour of a historic fort in the national capital, reports said.

The woman was arrested after a video featuring her in a miniskirt went viral.

The clip in which she appeared, showed her wearing a mini-skirt and a tank top, walking along an empty street in a fort at Ushayqir Heritage Village, about 155km (96 miles) north of the capital Riyadh.

Following a social media outrage, police booked her on Tuesday and  referred her case to the public prosecutor, local news outlet Al-Ekhbariya tweeted.

However, her plight had the critics divided as a section of the society praised her for the bold move, while the majority booed her.

"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," a Twitter user posted.

While another said in her defence: "If she was a foreigner, they would sing about the beauty of her waist and the enchantment of her eyes... But because she is Saudi they are calling for her arrest."