Women in Saudi Arabia are oppressed in myriad ways. They're not permitted to drive, travel abroad, or undergo certain medical procedures without the permission of a male guardian, and they're legally required to wear a long, robe-like garment called an “abaya” in public. Most Saudi women also cover their hair and faces with a veil.
Over the weekend, a woman visited a historic fort in a village north of the capital, Riyadh, dressed in a miniskirt and crop top.
يجب ان لاتطلع في بلد محافظ بهذا الشكل ، عليها احترام القوانين ، ولاا سوف يكون مصيرها معروف#مطلوب_محاكمة_مودل_خلود
— فــّــواز الوايلي ? (@1__shadw) July 16, 2017
pic.twitter.com/1ygF1UCD53
Less than 24 hours after she posted a video to Snapchat, Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced they were working with authorities to investigate her.
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As of today, police in Riyadh have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for the woman who was identified as Model Khulood.
There's an arrest warrant. I refrain from commenting, because of course, this is all very logical.
— Roudha (@its__roudha) July 16, 2017
#مطلوب_محاكمه_مودل_خلود pic.twitter.com/UEIToEdgxw
Although some Twitter users condemned Khulood, others came to her defence and pointed out the hypocrisy of the arrest warrant. Foreign women who visit the country aren't held to the same standards and, in fact, are praised for their looks.
"If she was a foreign girl, they would be courting to her beauty and her pretty eyes, but because she is a Saudi they demanded that she be tried," one Saudi woman wrote on Twitter.
Others were quick to point out that neither Melania nor Ivanka Trump wore headscarves during their recent visit to Saudi Arabia and received no backlash.
#مطلوب_محاكمة_مودل_خلود
— Outside the flock (@6etc6) July 16, 2017
المجتمع السعودي ينضح بالتناقضات فهو يتغنى ب إبنة ترامب ساعات طوال ، ويكفر ويقذف فتاة سعودية ويطالب بمحاكمتها pic.twitter.com/sfnuyiysVk
"We demand that Khoulud be tried because she acted irresponsibly. Whether you like it or not, you have to respect the law," another user wrote. "If everyone rebelled against the law because they did not like it, it would be a mess."
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