Egypt (Washington Insider Magazine) -A viral video of an Egyptian mother of three dancing has revived passionate discussions about women’s rights, forcing her husband to divorce her and her employer to fire her.
According to Al Jazeera, a short video filmed on a cell phone of Aya Youssef, a 30-year-old schoolteacher, shows her wearing a headscarf, jeans, and a long-sleeved blouse as she dances with coworkers while enjoying a Nile river cruise.
However, the clip, which has received a lot of attention on social media since it was released earlier this month, has divided views.
Some people are accusing her of betraying society’s traditional principles, whereas others stand firm in support of her.
Several incidents of women being subjected to smear campaigns on social media have surfaced in Egypt in recent years, prompting outraged requests that those responsible be held accountable.
It comes as rights groups warn that since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi entered office in 2014, the country’s crackdown on freedom has widened.
Youssef said she was “happy” on the vacation and that her actions were “spontaneous” in a recent conversation with a private Television program.
However, after the video was published online, some viewers were outraged by what they perceived as “unbecoming” behavior.
Meanwhile, the teacher was submitted to a disciplinary commission by Egypt’s education ministry in the Dakahlia district, northeast of Cairo, where she was fired from her employment in Mansoura. She was reinstated this week after a public outcry.
The head of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, Nihad Abu al-Qumsan, backed the teacher and offered her a position.
Youssef told Egypt’s El-Watan newspaper that she had no idea who had placed the footage online, but that those who “defamed and ruined her home” will face legal punishment.
It isn’t the first time that online shaming has sparked outrage in Egypt.
Egypt has long been known as the birthplace of belly dancing, but in recent years, some dancers and singers have been targeted for internet content that was deemed too explicit or suggestive.
Egypt’s group of native dancers has shrunk, owing to the profession’s growing reputation as the nation has become much more conservative in the last half-century — as well as a broader crackdown on freedoms.
