Just under a month after Shyma was arrested for eating a banana in her music video, yet another Egyptian pop star has been detained. Egyptian authorities arrested Leila Amer after her recent music video "Boss Oumek" debuted. The video sparked controversy due to her provocative belly dancing style and hand gestures. Police in Egypt are currently investigating accusations that Amer's music video is an "incitement to debauchery."
Belly dancing in Egypt
Amer's music video "Boss Oumek" (Look At Your Mother) features a man watching a belly dancer perform on television.
After seeing this, Ahmed Mahran, an Egyptian lawyer, filed a complaint against the singer. His argument is based around the idea that this type of performance poses a great risk to Egypt's society. He claims that this Style Of Dance will cause the destruction of values among the younger generations.
Mahran recently explained the reasoning behind his legal action against the belly dancer to Youm7, stating that "These crime do not represent assault on people, but aggression against society and the destruction of the state, especially as we are an Islamic religious state."
What Mahran has failed to realize is that belly dancing is an Egyptian style of dance that has been performed for thousands of years throughout the Middle East.
The art of belly dancing has become so popular that performers of this mesmerizing dance can be found all over the world.
A modern-day witch hunt
Egyptian authorities have been cracking down on women and the LGBT community for several months. Over 60 people have been arrested due to having ties with the LGBT community. After two concert-goers raised the Gay Pride Flag at a Mashrou’ Leil show, the police began setting up chatroom traps and executing midnight raids of private homes.
Never before has Egypt seen such a large-scale targeting of one specific community. Even the United Nations condemned Egypt's actions, calling the arrests a violation of international law.
Last month, Egyptian singer Shyma was arrested for eating a banana seductively in her music video. She has since been sentenced to two years in prison for her salacious act.
Meanwhile, the most dangerous city in the world for women was recently determined to be Cairo. Female genital mutilation, street harassment, and victim shaming are just a few of the problems women face in Egypt, while most sexual predators go unpunished as many victims are shamed into silence.
