Saudi Gazette

TAIF — The commotion over a young Saudi woman who stormed a stage in Souk Okaz where Iraqi singer Majed Al-Muhandis was performing continued unabated with legal experts and social media activists debating the consequences of her action.

A video circulating on social media showed the woman rushing on stage toward the pop star, who tried to step aside, before she was quickly pulled away by security personnel.

A police statement said the woman who is in her 20s had been arrested on Friday night for "criminal acts as per the anti-harassment regulatory act".

She is currently placed in an observation home for women in Makkah pending the completion of investigations. If convicted, the woman could face two years in prison and a fine of up to SR100,000, according Abdulkarim Al-Qadi, a lawyer.

The woman, who has not been identified, was dressed in a full-length abaya and face cover when she jumped on stage to hug Muhandis, whose love songs are hugely popular in the region.

According to local press reports, the woman had been attending Muhandis' concert at Souk Okaz when friends dared her to hug the star.

Social media users posted several sarcastic videos about the incident. Hashtags with her nicknames "The Barefoot Girl" and "The Souk Okaz Girl" became trendy over the past couple of days.

Many people vehemently criticized the woman saying she had no respect for moral values and her action was something strange to Saudi culture and social norms. However, one Twitter user said "she did a mistake but everyone makes mistakes."

“We must protect the rights of society. The victim has the right to demand legal action against the harasser. The judge may hand out stiff punishment to her to ensure that others understand and respect social values,” lawyer Al-Qadi told Okaz newspaper.

Other legal experts said on social media that the woman's action could "not be considered harassment as such, yet it is an action contrary to Islamic morality".

The Islamic religion prohibits such behavior and the punishment could be different from the penalty for harassment, they say.

Many social media users agreed with the view that what happened was not in incident of harassment.

Majed, one social media activist, said on Twitter, “Giving the incident the color of harassment would be demeaning to the dignity of the singer who is in his 40s.

Describing the popular singer as a victim would be a disdain for his character, he said, adding that the lawyers and legal experts should take into account the fact that a harassment victim is always the weaker party who cannot defend themselves.

In May, Saudi Arabia ratified a new harassment act as the Kingdom geared up to lift its longstanding ban on women driving. The ban ended on June 24.

The harassment act is widely seen as a measure to protect women behind the wheel and women who are also allowed to attend sports events and concerts.