Last week, Moothi Al Debyan, newly appointed female dean at Saudi Arabia's Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University sparked outrage for saying mobile phones belonging to female students can be searched, Okaz reported.
In a statement she made on live television, Al Debyan said that while a committee is often handed the responsibility of searching phones, the university has the right to find out if a female student is acting "inappropriately" or "going out of campus with someone other than her guardian."
When the television presenter interviewing her pressed on, asking what officials look for when they search a student's mobile, Al Debyan responded saying:
"We look through their messaging applications, we search to see if there are any conversations between them and guys."
"Not every student's phone is searched and I am not the one who searches them. A designated committee deals with the matter and we only take action when a student's behavior is deemed suspicious or inappropriate. We do this to protect the girls and ensure their safety," she added.
"We search phones only when there's a need to do so"
After her statements went viral on social media, they sparked controversy among social media users and legal experts.
Speaking to Okaz newspaper, legal expert Abd El Majeed Al Moussa explained that under Saudi constitution, it's considered illegal to search anyone's belongings without official search warrants.
On social media, people's opinions over the comments were split; some saw that it was unacceptable for officials to search any student's mobile phone, while others thought there's nothing wrong with it.
Many are angered by the statements
"A clear violation of a person's rights"
"There's no excuse for searching someone's phone"
"There's no excuse for searching someone's phone. University students are above legal age and are responsible for their choices."
Not everyone was upset over the comments though
Many also defended Al Debyan
"I don't think the dean is free to go around searching every single student's phone. Her statements were clear, only girls who place themselves in suspicious situations will be searched."
The university's spokesperson responds...
"Words were misunderstood."
Amid the intense online backlash, Al-Imam university's spokesperson Ahmad Al Rackban responded.
Speaking live on MBC FM, Al Rackban said Al Debyan's words were misunderstood.
"Dr. Al Debyan's words were misconstrued and she certainly didn't mean things the way they were understood by people on social media," he said.
"Al-Imam University is a prominent academic institution and we would never search any student's phone. The only way any device can be searched is if a security committee requests that it is," he explained.
When the radio host interviewing Al Rackban continued to ask about the "conversing with guys" statement, the spokesperson said:
"Al Debyan was talking about students who come to campus after hours. Yes, we are responsible for them and therefore if they leave the premises without anyone's knowledge, it's something we look out for. People must understand this and not take it out of context. We don't search anyone's phone except when it's necessary and even then many conditions apply."
"For example, let's say a student takes a photo of her colleagues without them knowing and they complain about that. Based on the complaint, a committee is then formed to investigate the matter, and they then ask for the phone to be searched," he said.
