Latest instance of detentions by Egyptian forces over images of women deemed too 'provocative' has garnered mixed reactions online

Photos of an Egyptian model have sparked intense debate online, after both the photographer and the model in the images - dubbed as “provocative and offensive” by Egyptian media - were detained by Egyptian authorities on Monday. 

The pair were released on Tuesday.

The series of photographs by photographer Houssam Mohammad showed model Salma al-Shimi wearing typical pharaoh-like accessories and a dress above the knee posing at the necropolis site of Saqqara, 30km south of Cairo.

A judicial source said the pair were accused of "taking photos without authorisation in the Saqqara archaeological site" and released on bail of 500 Egyptian pounds ($32) each pending the results of an investigation.

State-owned publication Akhbar el-Youm reported on Tuesday that Shimi had appeared in front of a public prosecutor and had objected to all of the accusations made against her, arguing that her aim had been to promote tourism rather than offend Egypt.

Shimi reportedly said she had not been aware that photography on archaeological sites without a permit was not permitted.

The model’s attire prompted numerous reactions online, with some deeming the images disrespectful to the ancient site in which the photoshoot took place.

#سلمى_الشيمى
نحن لا نحناج إلى التعرى لإظهار جمال اثارنا أو لنجتذب سائحين هم أصلا حياتهم منفتحه وميفرقش معاهم لو قلعت لهم ملط!! السائح يبحث عن سعر وراحه وخدمات مش عن لحم رخيص pic.twitter.com/TMB3IUet3l

— مصري وافتخر (@Allaa43581633) December 1, 2020

Translation: We do not need to be naked to show the beauty of our antiquities, or to attract tourists…Tourists are looking for comfort and services, not cheap meat.

Your photos are really disgusting and do not represent the history of our civilization at all.👎🏻#سلمي_الشيمي pic.twitter.com/pIqL51U41m

— 𝐑𝐀𝐇𝐌𝐀🦋 (@RahmaMoh11) December 1, 2020

Surprise at uproar

In an interview with Youm7 TV prior to his arrest, Mohammad claimed that Shimi entered the site wearing an abaya - a loose-fitting robe - as requested by staff, and changed when they arrived at the shoot location.

He further disclosed that six employees came to watch the photoshoot, which lasted only 15 minutes, without requesting that they cease.

Mohammad expressed surprise at the uproar online in response to the photoshoot, saying that “if a thin girl was in Salma’s place, the issue would be very normal”. 

Following Mohammad’s arrest and Shimi's appearance in court, the tone of the conversation online shifted, as waves of posts emerged condoning the lack of freedom of expression in Egypt.

هموت و اعرف ايه الجريمة الي هي عملتها.. pic.twitter.com/lyjnVAU2r4

— مجمع كفار مصر الجديدة 🖕🏳️‍🌈 (@6abDaKalam) November 30, 2020

Translation: I will die before I know what her crime was…

لا اعرف باى تهمة ستحاكم الفتاة التى ارتدت زى فرعونى وتصورت امام سقارة هل يختلف فعلها عن عارضات الازياء الاجانب ؟ القانون ليس فيه ما يجرم سلوكها لكن اهل الوصاية على الناس بأى حجة للتكدير على الناس ونشر النكد هم الغاضبين pic.twitter.com/pv29KhzXto

— ahmed ezzarab (@aezzarab25) November 30, 2020

Translation: I don't know what the girl who dressed like the pharaohs and was photographed in front of the Saqqara will be charged for. Does her act differ from those of foreign fashion models? There is no law that criminalises her behaviour, but the people who are meant to guard the public are using any pretext to annoy people and spread malice.

الحكومة المصرية تتبنى خطاب رجعي لكسب ود أغلبية الناس، لكنّها بذلك تخون قيم الدولة والدستور، وتعود بنا لممارسات متخلفة، هل سنحارب الإرهاب الديني بقمع الحريات الفردية. #سلمى_الشيمى pic.twitter.com/PCFNuYj46o

— Hamed fathi (@Hamedfathi14) December 1, 2020

Translation: The Egyptian government adopts a reactionary discourse to win the affection of the majority of people, but thus it betrays the values of the state and the constitution and brings us back to backward practices. Shall we fight religious terrorism by suppressing individual freedoms?

Some linked the case to the United Nations campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence", which began on 25 November.

After 17 hrs from posring her photo session at the pyramids area on the Internet, Salam got arrested. #GBV #16Days #16DaysofActivism2020 #Egypt #onlineviolence pic.twitter.com/mbnMhveH7X

— Sara Alsherif (@sarahalsherif) November 30, 2020

Others went so far as to call out the official Twitter account of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over perceived double standards.

لو كانت سائحه غربيه كانوا قالوا يا سلام ... نورت #مصر...
لكن بنت مصريه؟ يبقي كلا... دي اهانه للاثار... اصل الفراعنه كانوا منقبات؟@AlsisiOfficial https://t.co/nr0i4SiZAu

— Nervana Mahmoud (@Nervana_1) November 30, 2020

Translation: If she was a western tourist, they would have said: "oh wow, you have enlightened Egypt". But an Egyptian girl? It remains "no, this is an insult to the ruins" … Did the pharaohs even wear niqab anyway?

Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri told Egyptian publication Al-Watan that any person who "disrespects" antiquities and Egyptian civilisation would be punished.

Saqqara is an ancient burial ground and tourist attraction in Egypt. It contains numerous pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser. 

In recent months, Saqqara has been in the news due to numerous artefacts discovered in the area.

These arrests come amid an Egyptian government crackdown on women social media users whose content is deemed inappropriate. Some commentators have pointed out that men get a pass for wearing similarly revealing outfits. 

The Sisi regime investigates & arrests women for posing, dancing, singing fully clothed on social media. Meanwhile,the more they undress, the more #Egyptian men are celebrated for virility, masculinity, strength. Remember police cadets on display for Sisi? https://t.co/dGvdzPaEGk pic.twitter.com/pv4o7DFHF1

— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) November 30, 2020

In an incident that reignited Egypt’s women's rights movement earlier this year, five young women were sentenced by a court to two years in prison and each fined 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($19,135) for their TikTok posts, which were deemed to violate public morals.

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