Saudi Arabian rapper insulted Mecca authorities "The customs and traditions of the people". In contrast to the recent lifting of restrictions on entertainment in the ultra-conservative kingdom, leaders of the Holy City on Thursday (February 20) ordered the rapper Asayel Slay to be arrested.
In a clip posted online and titled Bnt Meeca ("The Girl of Mecca"), Asayel Slay, veiled and wearing sunglasses and a nose piercing, salutes the courage of the women living in Mecca, calling them "Sugar candy".
"A girl from Mecca is all you need / don't upset her, she'll hurt you", rapped Asayel Slay in particular, before describing women from the holiest city in Islam as more beautiful and stronger than all other Saudi women.
Mecca governor Khaled Al-Fayçal has ordered the arrest of the singer, estimating on Twitter that the young woman "Offends the customs and traditions of the people of Mecca and contradicts the identity and traditions of its beloved population".
"It’s so typical of the Saudi government"
The video followed by Mr. Fayçal’s comments sparked outrage on social media. "I come from Mecca and the only thing I find offensive is your racism and misogyny and your war against a young woman", a Saudi Internet user said on Twitter, referring in particular to the fact that the young woman is black. Behind the hashtag # You_Are_Not_Mecca’s_Girls, some Twitter users had earlier attacked the rapper's African origins, asking for her to be imprisoned and then deported.
"It’s so typical of the Saudi government: inviting Western influencers to clean up the crimes of the regime but attacking real Saudi women who are trying to artistically express their cultural identity", reacted another internet user.
Under the impetus of Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman, a strong man of the kingdom seeking to rid him of his ultra-conservative image, Saudi Arabia indeed encourages the development of entertainment on its territory. An electronic music festival was organized in December near the capital, which was attended by many Saudi women, sometimes unveiled.
But this softening of social standards – welcomed by residents, two-thirds of whom are under the age of 30 – was also accompanied by repression from opponents. Associations and non-governmental organizations have denounced the arrest of journalists, writers and activists in November, and the kingdom remains under scrutiny by the international community for its human rights record.
