Saudi Arabia: Arrest of Woman Who Posted Hijab-Free Photo

Saudi Arabian police have arrested a woman who posted a photo of herself without a hijab on Twitter. According to The Guardian, the woman, identified as Malak Al-Shahri, shared a picture of herself outside her home last month, not wearing the traditional long abaya and headscarf that is customary in Saudi Arabia. In the photo, she is wearing a long coat and a colorful dress, and in her message, she stated that she went outside without wearing the abaya and hijab. Her post sparked a severe backlash, with many social media users calling for her execution. They launched a hashtag titled 'We demand the arrest of the rebellious angel, Al-Shahri.' The name Malak means 'angel' in Arabic. According to the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq, the photo of Al-Shahri, taken in Al-Tahlia Street in downtown Riyadh, led someone to file a complaint with the Saudi religious police, resulting in her arrest. A police spokesperson told Asharq that Ms. Al-Shahri, in her twenties, has been transferred to prison and is accused of 'speaking without a veil to non-related men.' The newspaper quoted the police spokesperson as saying, 'Police officers have arrested a girl who removed her abaya and hijab in Al-Tahlia Street. She had announced a few days prior that she would do this in the street as a challenge.' The Guardian reminded that women in Saudi Arabia, in addition to mandatory and strict hijab laws, do not have the right to drive or socialize with men outside their family. According to the Saudi police spokesperson, the arrest was made as part of their duties to 'monitor violations of public morality.' After the intense reaction from conservative individuals on social media, Malak Al-Shahri deleted her photo and closed her personal Twitter account. Meanwhile, several Twitter users supported her, with one even comparing Al-Shahri to Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist in the United States. In September, thousands of Saudi citizens signed a petition calling for the abolition of the guardianship law, which prevents women from participating in many activities and daily affairs without the permission of a male guardian. In late November, Al-Waleed Al-Talal, a Saudi prince, made a groundbreaking request for the lifting of the ban on women driving, stating on Twitter, 'Enough discussion. It is time for women to be able to drive.'