Saudi Arabia orders arrest of female rapper who produced 'Mecca Girl'

"Our respect to other girls but the Mecca girl is sugar candy," Slay sings in the video, rapping about women who reside in the city of Mecca.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque during the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 6, 2019 (photo credit: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS)
Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque during the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 6, 2019
(photo credit: UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS)
Saudi Arabian officials put out a warrant for the arrest of female rapper, identified as Asayel Slay, who recently released a music video titled "Girl of Mecca."
Governor of Mecca Khaled al-Faisal denounced the video and ordered the immediate arrest of those involved in production, saying that the video "offends the customs and traditions of the people of Mecca and contradicts the identity and traditions of its esteemed population," adding that "they are not the girls of Mecca."
"Our respect to other girls, but the Mecca girl is sugar candy," Slay sings in the video, rapping about women who reside in the city of Mecca.
After Saudi officials called the video "insulting," social media outcry referred to the actions as "hypocritical."
"It's the only rap song that doesn't contain a single obscenity, insult, pornographic scene, nudity, hashish or smoking and the rapper is even wearing the hijab," read a popular Twitter post. "The girl faces arrest because the song doesn't suit new Saudi Arabia or old."
The video takes place in a coffee shop, where the rapper sings the controversial lyrics while both men and women dance around her. The rapper is garbed in a hijab and ankle-length dress, aligning with the customs of the Kingdom.
According to reports, her YouTube account was temporarily removed and the original video has been scraped from the internet.
Despite Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman's open-push for human rights reforms, beginning in 2018 with his announcement of the Vision 2030 program - and many said reforms benefiting Saudi women and female travelers - activists in the country allege that freedom of expression has been significantly restricted, contradicting the Kingdom's outward-facing moral direction, according to the BBC.
Many on social media are equating that the Saudi government purports a public image of modernization internationally, but domestically the reality is that of the more traditional Saudi reign, cracking down on citizens left and right for a myriad of reasons surrounding morality and customs.
"This is so typical of the Saudi government to do - bring western influencers to artwash the regime but attack real Saudi women who try to artistically express their cultural identities," said Saudi-American feminist Amani Al-Ahmadi.
Mecca is the holiest site in Islam, purported to be the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed, where practicing able-bodied Muslims are obligated to visit at least once before they die, and millions going on Hajj or a pilgrimage to this site arrive during the Muslim month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah each year.


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