Story By: Lee Bullen,Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN/@saudi33ajel
A male actor and a Jordanian fashion model have been arrested by the Saudi Arabian authorities for mocking the Muslim ‘abaya’ robe and violating Islamic values in a video sketch.
The video was reportedly filmed in the central Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh and was later widely shared on social media.
The local authorities ordered the actors’ arrest after they were deemed to have violated public morals and Islamic values, according to reports.
The video shows a heavyset man in traditional Saudi garb approaching a woman in a living room before telling her to remove her abaya, an over-garment worn by many women in parts of the Muslim world.
He says to her before kissing her hand: “The time of the abaya is over. This is the time of entertainment”
Reports said that Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, governor of Asir Region and a member of House of Saud, ordered the man’s arrest, who is said to be a Saudi citizen.
Meanwhile, the actress is said to be a Jordanian fashion model and it is unclear whether she has been detained by the Saudi authorities.
A state prosecutor told local media: “We keep a close eye on whatever violates religious values and public morals, and constitutes a crime liable to legal punishment according to relevant codes and regulations.”
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has reportedly introduced social measures aimed at softening the country’s ultra-conservative approach, including allowing women to drive and inviting big-star names to perform there in an attempt to diversify its oil-dependent economy.
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