Saudi woman arrested for hugging male singer at concert

A Saudi woman has been arrested for storming on a stage during a concert at Souq Okaz in Taif and hugging Iraqi singer Majid al-Muhandis.

According to the authorities, the woman has been charged a fine of up to 100,000 Saudi Riyals for hugging the singer and has been arrested under a new harassment law in Saudi Arabia. The singer, who also has Saudi citizenship, is extremely popular in the Gulf region mainly for his romantic tracks.

The identified woman was wearing a full-length abaya (cloak) and niqab (face veil) when she ran to the stage to hug the Iraqi singer. The veiled woman was reportedly attending Muhandis' concert in the city of Taif in Saudi's southwestern Mecca province when friends dared her to hug the singer.

Saudi woman arrested after she invaded the stage to hug Iraqi singer @majidalmohandis during concert in Taif https://t.co/InXCWyJvxE pic.twitter.com/j1OxDA21Wu

— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) July 14, 2018

As per the police statement, the woman was arrested on Friday night for criminal acts as per the anti-harassment regulatory act, Arab News reported.

The video circulating on social media showed that the woman was standing among the audience when she suddenly rushed towards the pop star, who tried to step back before she was quickly pulled away by security officials. The Iraqi-born singer continued to perform after the incident.

This incident brought a variety of responses, with many arguing that this was a normal reaction when someone meets their favorite celebrities. Tweeting in Arabic, a Saudi journalist, writer and novelist Samar Al-Mogren said, “Admiration and obsessions with artists and celebrities exist all over the world, so do not interpret the situation based on nationality”.