American singer Alicia Keys has been getting a lot of media attention in the past few days, after tweeting an image of a woman dressed in niqab. 

The woman in the image is posing in ballet footwear, with one leg exposed. 

"Our strength is in our differences. Our power is in our diversity. We are so beautiful. All of us. When we see each other we see ourselves," Keys >captioned the image. 

The tweet has been shared nearly 2,000 times and has sparked a heated debate on social media.   

Keys has since removed the post from Twitter. 

The image was taken by Omani Ali Al Sharji, a conceptual artist and photographer, who has been using art as an outlet ever since he was 12-years-old. 

Sharji wanted to send out a message to the world, but somehow received tremendous backlash for it. 

"My image was [meant] to portray the freedom an Arab woman has to pursue [for] a passion that is out of the ordinary," Sharji told StepFeed, referencing the ballerina in the photo. 

"I feature Arab women as symbols in many of my art pieces to revolutionize the traditional thinking of women not being able to follow their dreams," he added. 

Some Twitter users suggested the image belittles women's struggle with the niqab in >certain parts of the Arab world where the legal code is influenced by a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law. 

However, others saw beyond that. 

>One Twitter user, Ghazi Al Balushi‏, asked people to see the "deeper meaning" portrayed in the image, explaining that Sharji's work often "criticizes lack of freedoms" in certain societies.

"People misinterpret the image or object you are trying to portray. Criticism is one thing all great artists face," Sharji said. 

Some attacked Alicia Keys for "romanticizing oppression"

Suggesting the photo is "glamorizing the niqab"

Others used this moment to raise awareness on the story of Malak Al Shehri

In 2016, Saudi Malak Al Shehri's story made headlines around the world, after she got >arrested for tweeting a photo of herself without the abaya. 

Prior to her arrest, Shehri >received death threats from thousands of Twitter users, who demanded her imprisonment. 

The police soon investigated and then arrested Shehri - despite the fact that the photo was taken down and her Twitter account got deleted. 

Some Muslim women spoke up against the photo as well

However, other Muslim women defended the photo saying people should "let each woman decide for herself"

"There's a deeper message"

A valid point: "an art piece that incites controversy and discussion is a successful one"