Viral video shows Lebanese guys harassing hijabi riding a scooter

A video has been making the rounds on social media in Lebanon for all the wrong reasons, as people are poking fun at what is clearly a case of street harassment.

In the video, which has been shared by several social media accounts and has garnered hundreds of likes and shares, a group of guys is seen harassing a young woman riding a motor scooter near Lebanon's Airport Road. 

The young woman's face does not show clearly, but she appears to be in her early teenage years and wears the Islamic headscarf. The men who shot the video follow her and call out for her, invading her privacy, distracting her from the road, and posing a danger to her safety.

The men follow her by car and call out for her with typically-Muslim names like Zeinab, Fatima, and Batoul, referencing her headscarf. 

They seem to find it odd that a hijab-wearing woman is driving a motor scooter. 

The men follow her for over one minute, badgering her with questions like, "Zeinab, what are you doing? Who taught you how to drive? ... How are you?"

Clearly feeling uncomfortable, she tries to drive faster. When she pulls further away, the guy filming the video yells louder at her and zooms in.

The video has been widely shared across social media, with many people commenting on the video with laughs and mockery. 

Among the pages that shared the video was local page bintjbeil.org, which first had "Ya Zeiniiib" as a caption with a laughing emoji, after which it was edited.

The new caption states that the video was first shared by "Motorcycle riding specialist 'Abu Ali Bilal'," adding that the footage is considered an "unfamiliar scene in Lebanon," as the young woman is "rebelling against a different reality."

The caption also reads, "Some criticized her for wearing the hijab."

While many people took the video lightly, others pointed out that the video captures an incident of street harassment. 

Some referenced the #Mesh_Basita campaign, which was recently launched by Lebanon's The KIP Project on Gender and Sexuality.

The campaign aims to target the societal problem of sexual harassment, letting the Lebanese population know that sexual harassment is never okay. 

"'Mesh basita' stands for the idea that sexual harassment is 'not okay.' It also has a double meaning, suggesting that the person is not naive and will take a stand against harassment," Heather Jaber, communications coordinator for KIP, told StepFeed.

"You don't have anything to share other than lame videos like this? Where's the humor or the lesson or the entertainment in such a video that documents the harassment and disturbance of a girl minding her own business?"

"God protect you and bravo [to the girl]. Why are you guys shocked to see a girl driving a motor scooter? It's normal and she's free [to do whatever she wants]. You are very lame and not funny at all."

"By the way, I used to see this girl during the school year while driving my son to school. At noon, I used to see her picking up her younger siblings, who look like kindergarten students, so her parents probably cannot afford to pay for [bus] transportation. No need to mock. This guy is very lame, he could have caused an accident. God help people."

"Media downfall for bintjbeil.org. I don't see any justification for posting this video other than encouraging such acts and attacking people. And I don't think you took [the girl's] approval before sharing it. Bankrupt media, unfortunately."