A feminist rapper from Mecca is under arrest in Saudi Arabia after she received massive backlash for releasing a music video praising women from the holy metropolis.
The rapper Asayel Slay, who’s of Eritrean origin, uploaded the video Bint Makkah (Woman from Mecca) on her Youtube channel last week, sparking widespread controversy in the conservative Kingdom.
"Our respect to other girls but the Mecca girl is sugar candy," she sings in the video while men and women dance in a café.
A Saudi woman who appears 2 be of African descent made a cute video rapping about Makkah & her culture using witty lyrics. The video went viral, she was reported to authorities. The twitter backlash against her is full of racist pricks like this person ?? .. #لستن_بنات_مكة https://t.co/8IdN08akXN
— MS SΛFFΛΛ صفاء (@MsSaffaa) February 20, 2020
The video has been deemed offensive by authorities after it elicited controversy within the conservative kingdom, gathering more than 1.6 million views.
The governor of Mecca Khaled al-Faisal ordered the arrest of the people behind the video, tweeting that it "insults the customs of Mecca" and using the hashtag "they're not the girls of Mecca".
أمير مكة #خالد_الفيصل يوجه بإيقاف المسؤولين عن إنتاج فيديو أغنية الراب ( بنت مكه ) الذي يسيء لعادات وتقاليد أهالي مكة ويتنافى مع هوية وتقاليد أبنائها الرفيعة.
— إمارة منطقة مكة (@makkahregion) February 20, 2020
.. تضمن توجيه سموه إحالتهم للجهات المختصه للتحقيق معهم وتطبيق العقوبات بحقهم.#لستن_بنات_مكه pic.twitter.com/zVqggEujfh
Translation: “The Governor of Mecca # Khaled_Al-Faisal directs the arrest of those responsible for producing the rap song (Bint Makkah), which offends the customs and traditions of the people of Mecca and contradicts the identity and traditions of its holiness.”
The video was widely shared on social media, and people used hashtag #بنت_مكه_تمثلني (#Mecca_Girl_Represents_Me) to discuss it.
#بنت_مكه_تمثلني
— Shafa ٣١ ♀ ∇ (@Shafax6) February 21, 2020
اغنية الراب الوحيدة اللي مافيها ولا كلمة وحده بذيئة ولا شتيمة وحده ولا أساءه وحده ولا مشهد اباحي واحد ولا مشهد نيودتي واحد ولا ممنوعات ولا حشيش ولا دخان وحتى الرابر محجبة تم "اعتقال" البنت عشان الاغنية ما ناسبت السعودية الجديدة كما القديمةpic.twitter.com/CRj3xoBxo6
Translation: “This is the only rap song that doesn't contain a single obscenity, insult, pornographic scene, nudity, hashish or smoking. The rapper was even veiled, yet she was arrested because the song didn't belong to this conservative society.”
Social media users criticized the double-standards applied to women in Saudi Arabia. They drew attention to the case of Moroccan singer Saad Lmjarred who was permitted to perform in Riyadh after facing three charges of rape that he denies.
So you'll bring foreign male artists to the country and fully support them but the second a female citizen makes a normal MV you drag her to jail.. yeah, makes sense.#بنت_مكه_تمثلني
— Boo #2YA2YAO (@suju1301) February 21, 2020
Social media users also accused authorities of projecting an image of modernization abroad while cracking down at home.
She’s a badass woman ???
— Amani Al-Ahmadi | أماني الأحمدي (@amani_aal) February 20, 2020
This is so typical for the #Saudi government to do, bring western influencers to artwash the regimes crimes but attack real Saudi women who try to artistically express their cultural identities. This is racist, sexist & utter bullshit.#بنت_مكه_تمثلني https://t.co/I9IT9Qv4Gr
In 2018 the crown prince of the conservative country began a programme of reforms. Artists including Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and BTS have been invited to perform in the kingdom.
However, 120 Saudi men and women were arrested for wearing "inappropriate clothes” at the music festival.
Activists argue that incidents such as Riyadh season and Asayel’s arrest only further showcase the crackdown on freedom of expression in the country.
