Egyptian pop musician Shyma was arrested for dancing in underwear, licking an apple and eating a banana “suggestively” on a music video last week Saturday.
She was accused of “inciting debauchery.”
On the video for a song called “I Have Issues,” Shyma can be seen dancing sensually in front of a classroom full of men as they look on attentively–which isn’t something one wouldn’t expect from a pop video. But not in Egypt, a country that is known for sexism and being generally conservative.
After backlash from local media, Shyma posted an apology on her Facebook page, which has since been disabled.
“I apologize to all the people who saw the clip and were upset by it and took it in an inappropriate way,” she wrote. “I didn’t imagine all this would happen and that I would be subjected to such a strong attack from everyone, as a young singer… who has dreamt from a young age of being a singer.”
The BBC reports that on Monday, two days after Shyma’s arrest, the public prosecutor’s office ordered that Shyma’s detention be extended for a week. And arrest warrants were also issued for the directors of the video.
Disturbing, if you ask us.
The video for “I Have Issues” has since been removed from YouTube, but you can watch a portion below:
