A Saudi woman recently took part in a heritage festival in the city of Al Majma'ah in the kingdom ... but little did she know things would turn sour after innocently flattering a footballer during the event.
The woman, who goes by the name Oum Nayef, was participating in the Majma'ah festival, where she was selling traditional food via a booth.
During the festival, the woman shared a video of her innocently complimenting a footballer via Snapchat ... and was met with hate from social media users.
"I am so lost in his eyes… come, Mr. Beautiful Eyes. Come eat before anyone else does," the woman says in the video, target="_blank">according to Al Arabiya.
The video soon went viral, ultimately leading people to call Oum Nayef out, referring to her behavior as "immodest."
Oum Nayef's food station was later dismantled. She was also barred from participating in the festival.
"Why should we support her? She has no respect for herself"
Others referred to the case as "sexual harassment"
"There is no place for sexually aroused women among us. This is living proof that the penalty for those who sexually harass others should be equal among both sexes."
It wasn't all negative news. An outpouring support in solidarity with Oum Nayef followed
Moussaed Ghadir, the director of public relations and media in the area, said the woman is an "honorable old lady who has all the consideration and respect from everyone. However, it was unnecessary for her to post the video on Snapchat. It didn’t do her any good," according to Al Arabiya.
Ghadir spoke to Oum Nayef just a day after the video was posted, as authorities were "concerned about her safety." They had also requested her booth be taken down in an attempt to combat the hate speech that followed on social media.
"We don’t want her to be a real-life target for insults that this controversy has stirred online," Ghadir said.
Soon after Oum Nayef became a target of hate on social media, an online campaign under the Arabic hashtag #SupportOumNayef began making the rounds online in a show of solidarity with Oum Nayef's innocent remarks.
"Freedom of expression is a human right"
"Freedom of expression is a human right, but it's become a punishable crime for women, despite the fact that it is an example of upholding the ethics and values of our societies.
Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin."
Many called out society's sexist reaction to the incident
"If it were Abu Nayef (man) instead of Oum Nayef (woman), would people's opinion still be the same?"