Saudi Woman Wearing Miniskirt in Video Arrested Following Public Outcry **UPDATE**

As I have pointed out a few times, Islam is progressive, not progressive in a liberal sense, quite the opposite. Islam progresses toward more and more strict Sharia, or Sharia-like attitudes until women are made virtually invisible.

**UPDATE**: Several news agencies are reporting today that the girl has been released without charge.

Video sparked Twitter backlash, with many saying she broke country's strict dress code for women

The Associated Press

A woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around. The short video was shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's most conservative tribes and families are from.

A woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around.

The short video was shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's

most conservative tribes and families are from. (Khulood/Snapchat)

A Saudi woman has been arrested for defying the kingdom's strict dress code by walking around in a miniskirt and crop top in a video that sparked public outrage.

The woman, whose name was not given, was detained by police in the capital, Riyadh, for wearing "immodest clothes" that contradicted the country's conservative Islamic dress code, state media reported Tuesday. Police referred her case to the public prosecutor, according to the official Twitter account of state-run TV channel al-Ekhbariya.

In the video, which has gone viral since first emerging on Snapchat over the weekend, the woman is filmed walking around a historic fort in a miniskirt with no one else around. The short video, shot in a village in the desert region of Najd, where many of Saudi Arabia's most conservative tribes and families are from, is followed by other shots of her sitting in the desert.

The video sparked a Twitter hashtag that called for her arrest, with many saying she flagrantly disobeyed Saudi rules, which require all women living in the kingdom, including foreigners, to wear long, loose robes known as abayas in public. Most Saudi women also wear a headscarf and veil that covers the face.

In other words, for women to be invisible in public.

Social media is wildly popular in Saudi Arabia as a space to vent frustrations and gauge public opinion. The outcry against the video and the woman's subsequent arrest reveal how powerful and widespread conservative views are in the kingdom, despite recent moves by Saudi Arabia to modernize and loosen some rules.

The country's 31-year-old heir to the throne, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has pushed for greater openings for entertainment in part to appease the youth, who are active on social media and can bypass government censors online. More than half of Saudi Arabia's population is under 25.

The government announced last week that girls would be allowed for the first time to play sports in public school and have access to physical education classes. The powers of the kingdom's religious police have also been curtailed, and they are officially no longer allowed to arrest people.

This is a clear attempt to reverse some of the stringent application of Sharia. It will be interesting to see if it leads anywhere. The reaction on Twitter would make it seem that loosening moral codes is not a a popular idea.

Despite these moves, strict gender segregation rules and other restrictions on women remain in place. Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and cannot obtain a passport or travel abroad without a male relative's permission.

After the woman's video surfaced, some Saudis expressed alarm, saying that Twitter was being used as a tool to out other citizens.

Saudi writer Waheed al-Ghamdi wrote on Twitter that while the woman violated Saudi laws, her actions did not warrant such an outcry because they did not harm others.

Ivanka Trump, left, and Melania Trump are seen at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May. Some have noted the two women did not cover their heads or wear abayas. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

"I am simply questioning the lack of priorities regarding anger and alarm expressed over human rights violations and oppression versus the harmless personal choices of others," he wrote.

Some of those defending her posted images from U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia in May, in which his wife Melania and his daughter Ivanka, though modestly dressed in higher necklines and longer sleeves, did not cover their heads or wear abayas.

The woman's image was blurred on Saudi news websites reporting on the case. It is common in Saudi Arabia to see heavily blurred or pixelated images of women's faces on billboards and storefronts — in stark contrast to the many towering images of senior male royals displayed across the country.

Of course, can't have women with faces! They wouldn't be invisible!

The 6 second video can be seen here

‘Unacceptable’: Italian Officials Outraged After Girl’s Hair Shaved Off for Not Wearing Muslim Veil

Italians react strongly to culture clash

© Cheryl Ravelo / Reuters

The story of a migrant girl, whose head was shaved by her mother for not wearing a Muslim veil, has sparked outrage among Italian politicians, some of whom advised migrants who are unwilling to embrace the Italian lifestyle to “change country.”

The 14-year-old girl of Bangladeshi origins, residing in Bologna, managed to trick her parents for a period of time – wearing the veil at home, but taking it off while at school.

The deception apparently ended on Wednesday, as the girl was caught by her mother and promptly punished by having her head shaved for not wearing a veil.

Her lack of hair raised suspicions in school the next day, and the girl told her teachers about the punishment and alleged months-long tensions with parents over not complying with their religious beliefs. School officials promptly notified the police and social services of the incident.

The girl has been taken away from the family and placed under the care of local social services along with her sisters, ANSA news agency reported. The parents were placed under investigation for mistreatment of their children.

Politicians agree

The controversial punishment has sparked outrage in Italy, as many politicians are raising concerns over migrants who do not want to blend in with Italian society and comply with local laws and traditions.

Bologna Mayor Virginio Merola condemned the punishment as cruel and unacceptable, and advised those who do not wish to comply with Italian traditions to “change country.”

“If you want to be Italians you must adapt to Italian laws and our constitution. You cannot have different attitudes, otherwise you [should] change the country,” Merola said, as quoted by Il Resto del Carino. 

He called the case a sign of “authoritarianism,” stressing that parents coming to Italy should know that “this is not an acceptable method of education.”

Former Italian PM Matteo Renzi praised the swift actions of Bologna’s social services and the decision to take the girl away from the parents.

“For all of us who are fathers and mothers, such decision can be painful, but it is fair to say that this is a GOOD choice,” Renzi wrote in a Facebook post.

He noted that there can be “no hospitality without the rule of law,” adding that that it “must apply to ALL.”

Even Muslims agree

The Italian Muslim community has also condemned the punishment, stating that wearing the veil for women is not actually obligatory, as some Muslims who stick to “popular Islam” might think.

Despite existing Muslim traditions, “we believe that a choice to wear the veil should remain a choice,” the president of the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy and Imam of Florence Izzeddin Elzir said. 

“Faith is stronger than a garment, forcing the veil has nothing to do with religion,” he pointed out.