A Saudi woman has been arrested after tweeting a photo of herself in public without hijab or abaya.
Just over two weeks ago, Malak Al Shehri tweeted a photo of herself wearing a colorful dress under a long dark coat, with sunglasses and boots.
She shared the image of herself in Riyadh sans hijab and abaya after telling her followers she had gone to breakfast without wearing the traditional attire.
She began receiving death threats and calls for her execution as the post went viral.
Police investigated and now arrested Shehri.
Colonel Fawaz al-Maiman said she had "removed her abaya on al-Tahliya street, implementing a challenge she announced on social media," according to The Guardian.
The officer added that Shehri was taken to prison and accused her of "speaking openly about prohibited relations with (non-related) men."
Maiman said that Saudi police are required to monitor "violations of general morals."
Shehri had already taken down the photo and had deleted her Twitter account, according to a friend. A social media campaign had been launched calling her a "rebel" and demanding that she be put in prison.
"So many people retweeted it and what she did reached extremists, so she got threats. She deleted her tweets but they didn't stop, so she deleted her account," Shehri's friend said.
Some called for blood
"We want blood"
And some defended her
And some called for others to join Shehri
Women in Saudi Arabia are governed by conservative laws dictating the way they are allowed dress in public as well as many other aspects of life. The kingdom is also the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.
In recent years, women have seen some progress however. Last year, they were granted the right to vote and participate in municipal elections for the first time.
Many prominent Saudis, including billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, have called on the government to allow women to drive.
