Egypt: Fashion influencer to be detained on ‘morality charges’

Egypt’s public prosecutor has ordered that fashion blogger Salma Elshimy be detained for four days on alleged charges of “spreading immorality” and publishing videos and photographs that “contradict social morals and values.”

The popular influencer, who has 120,000 followers on Instagram, was arrested in December 2020 after taking part in a photo shoot outside the Saqqara necropolis and then later released on bail.

At the time, Salma posted photographs of herself in ancient Egyptian dress in front of the Pyramid of Djoser and was accused by local media of “exploiting the cultural value of the antiquities in inappropriate Pharaonic clothes.”

The photographer on the shoot was also arrested.

For three years Egyptian authorities have targeted female social media influencers on various morality charges in what human rights groups have said is a violation of their right to free expression.

this also speaks to narrow-minded western politicians, often right-wingers, who prefer bloody military dictatorships over Islamists winning an election. Egypt never witnessed such relentless attacks on women and LGBTQ rights as it is under Sisi.

— Amr Magdi (@ganobi) April 3, 2023

In February last year the Cairo criminal court adjourned the hearing of Haneen Hossam, who was arrested in 2020 and accused of promoting prostitution after she posted a video about how to make money on social media.

READ: New Egypt law could fine $181,000 for publishing false weather reports

Haneen was later tried on human trafficking charges and fined 200,000 Egyptian pounds, then roughly $13,000.

Another woman posted a video about how she had been raped and was then arrested and interrogated for “violating family values.”

One was accused of “stirring up instincts” after posting a video of herself fully clothed and dancing on a beach.

In 2018 Egypt introduced a law criminalising the spread of false news by anyone with a social media following of over 5,000. That same year, Egypt jailed more journalists on “false news” charges than anywhere else in the world.

Arrests of these TikTok women have come despite Egypt’s #MeToo movement under which Egyptian women have come forward to speak about sexual violence and rape.

The movement followed the outcry over American University of Cairo student Bassem Zaki, who dozens of women accused of sexual abuse and blackmail.

The case attracted widespread attention as rights defenders say sexual harassment and violence often goes unpunished.

The Instagram account Assault Police was created and became a platform for women to report assaults.

In a second high profile case, a woman accused five young men of gang raping her at the five-star Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo at a party in 2014 and the sixth of filming and sharing it.

READ: Violence against women is endemic in Egypt; it must be challenged and stopped