A Saudi Arabian TV presenter who was seen wearing a loose headscarf and a partly open gown that revealed her trousers and a blouse has sparked a torrent of criticism on social media for apparently violating the kingdom’s dress code for women. The Saudi authorities have launched a probe against Shireen al-Rifaie, a reporter with Dubai-based Al Aan TV, who fled the country soon after the controversy erupted. The clip was taken while she was reporting on the end of a decades-long woman driving ban and was widely circulated with the Arabic hashtag “naked woman driving in Riyadh” gaining traction.
The kingdom’s General Authority for Audiovisual Media on Tuesday said they had referred Rifaie to investigators, accusing her of “violating regulations and instructions” by wearing “indecent clothes,” reported news agency AFP.
Rifaie dismissed the charge and told a media website as quoted by AFP that she was wearing “decent clothes.” Many Saudi hardliners are also being mocked on social media for calling a fully clad woman ” naked”. The conservative country has some of the world’s toughest restrictions on women.
Early this month, the kingdom sacked the head of its entertainment authority, following a conservative backlash against a circus featuring women wearing skintight leotards.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s longstanding ban on female drivers was lifted recently as they celebrated taking the wheel for the first time.
