Egyptian singer Laila Amer has been arrested and charged over a music video posted online, continuing a rising trend of female, Egyptian singers being punished for what is deemed "provocative content".
As reported by Metro UK, Amer has been charged with violating public decency and inciting debauchery over her video Bos Omak, which translates to 'Look at Your Mother', a pun on a common Egyptian profanity 'kos amok'.
Amer plays the role of a downtrodden housewife complaining to her husband, belly dancing and portraying what prosecutors claim are “offensive gestures”.
Lawyer Amhed Mahran, who reported the clip to authorities, said it contributes to “destroying morality and disseminating vice."
The singer’s membership to Egypt’s musicians union has been cancelled with the head of Egypt’s Musicians Syndicate, Hany Shaker, calling the video “an insult to the Egyptian people."
Amer was ordered by a judge to remain in custody after appearing in court in Giza on Thursday morning.
This is the third instance of an Egyptian female singer being persecuted since November 2017.
Singer Shaimaa Ahmed was sentenced to one year’s detention on Monday over a video of her eating a banana in her underwear, while fellow singer Sherine Abdel Wahab was charged with "spreading provocative publicity" after suggesting that drinking water from the River Nile was unsafe.
While Amer remains in custody, the video is still available online and to watch below.
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