RantCrush Top 5: July 18, 2017

A Saudi social media star who visited a historic fort outside of Riyadh has been arrested. She posted photos and videos of herself wearing a short skirt and a t-shirt during her visit. Less than 24 hours after she posted the images, Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced it was investigating her. An arrest warrant reportedly says that the woman was “in indecent clothing, disrespecting and violating the teachings of Islam.”

Some in the country called for her to be punished. One social media commentator said on Twitter: “Whether you like it or not, you have to respect the law. If everyone rebelled against the law because they did not like it, it would be a mess.” But some defended the woman and called her brave, and said it’s hypocritical that Saudis are okay with foreigners (like Ivanka and Melania Trump) wearing similar clothing, but not Saudi women.

Video of woman walking down street in a skirt sparks controversy in Saudi Arabia https://t.co/kFnWNRES2B

— TIME (@TIME) July 18, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.