Digital celebrity Egyptian tiktoker Tala Safwan, who has more than 5 million followers on TikTok and more than 800,000 followers on YouTube, has been arrested by Saudi Arabian authorities on charges of “implying gay relationships” on social media.
He was born in impressive Egypt but lives in one of the most conservative countries in the world, where same-sex relationships are prohibited. He denies the charges.
The arrest of the young woman was confirmed by the kingdom police on Monday (25). It came after an online campaign pressured the Saudi government to take action against a recent live broadcast.
Tiktoker said the video was taken out of context
Tala Safwan’s audience is mostly young people. Like other influencers, he talks about pop culture topics such as movies and TV shows of the moment, as well as offers challenges and answers questions submitted by fans, according to information from the BBC.
However, a live broadcast by Tala with a Saudi friend unwittingly targeted tiktoker’s back.
In the video, he invites his friend to his house in Riyadh, saying that he is alone, and his friend refuses, saying that it is late.
“It’s even better because everyone will be asleep and not hear what I’m going to do to you,” Tala said, according to Al Jazeera’s website. “They won’t hear your screams… We had so much fun,” he added.
#تالا_تسيء_لمجتمع
For the third time, do not offend the Saudi society and do not be held accountable by the relevant authorities. pic.twitter.com/dORE3duxK6— هنوفا (@Hanouffana) 25 July 2022
A clip containing just this dialogue went viral and caused the ire of netizens in Saudi Arabia, who started a Twitter campaign against tiktoker.
With the hashtag translated “Tala offends society” in Arabic, users criticized the influencer, saying the video implied LGBT nature.
“This type of disruption to TikTok lives needs to be brought under control. The government should take one of these cheap celebrities as an example and let him rot in prison so that others can learn to respect Arab society,” says one of the publications.
المفروض في رقابه الانحلال الانحلال والرخص التيكتوك التيكتوك التيكتوك رقابه الانحلال الانحلال والرخص التيكتوك التيكتوك التيكتوك واحد واحد من وتخليه يعرمعمن العاريه معمن العاريد #تالا_تسيء_لمجتمع
— ويميملآن???? (@RB__52) 25 July 2022
Tala Safwan, who made a splash on social networks, said the video was taken out of the context of the live broadcast to “scandalize”. And she denied any implication or lesbian subtext in her speech, adding that she didn’t want to offend anyone.
But tiktoker’s denials weren’t enough. Earlier this week, Saudi Arabian police said they arrested an Egyptian resident of the country “who appeared in a post on a social media site that appeared to be talking to another woman with sexual and obscene content that undermined public morality”.
Authorities shared the blurry part of the video and did not identify the influencer.
According to local media reports, he was transferred to the Public Ministry after his arrest.
شرطة منطقة الرياض تقبض على مقيمة ظهرت بثّ تتحدث مع أخرى وإيحاءات من من المساس بالآداب العامة. pic.twitter.com/UfWaernDc0
— الأمن العام (@security_gov) 25 July 2022
The Tiktoker lawsuit comes days after the media regulator in Saudi Arabia forced YouTube to remove ads deemed offensive to “Muslim values and principles”.
The request comes after Saudi parents said their children were exposed to “inappropriate content” in the video platform’s ads, according to the BBC. If YouTube doesn’t comply, Google could be sued in the country.
Also Read | Russia fines journalist who criticizes war for former interview with gay artist in Brazil
Children’s movie banned in the Middle East
In June, censorship against LGBT shows in Asia and the Middle East hit a scene in Pixar’s new movie Lightyear, which features a gay kiss between two female characters.
At least 14 countries that criminalize same-sex relationships, including Saudi Arabia, have banned the animation from being shown in movie theaters.
Qatar, which will host the next World Cup, was also one of the countries that banned the screening of the children’s movie famous for its Toy Story animation, Buzz Lightyear.
Children’s animation tells the origin story of astronaut Buzz Lightyear.
With his commander and best friend Alisha Hawthorne (voiced by actress Uzo Aduba), Buzz arrives on his ship to a hostile planet. Hundreds of people on board are trying to form a temporary community as they test flights to find an escape route.
The kiss that led to the film’s exile is given to his partner by Alisha Hawthorne.
Also Read | Asian and Middle Eastern countries without LGBT rights veto ‘Buzz Lightyear’ for kissing between women
source: Noticias
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