An Egyptian TikToker named Tala Safwan was recently arrested in Saudi Arabia for sharing "s*xually suggestive content" on her social media.
Safwan, who is an influencer, was held on July 25 after she uploaded a live video where she's seen talking to Saudi female friend. She asks her friend to come over to her place early in the morning as Safwan was feeling lonely.
According to Al Jazeera, when Tala's friend said she wouldn't be able to visit her as it was too late, the TikToker allegedly said:
"Even better, because everyone will be asleep and they won't hear what I'll do to you. They won't hear your screams... from how much fun we'll be having."
Since it was shared, the video went viral and garnered immense backlash on social media. A hashtag that translates to "Tala offends society" was also trending on Twitter.
The influencer has a major social media presence with five million followers on her TikTok account and more than 800,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel. Her content is mainly for young adults and her trendy, funky style is immensely popular among Arab children.
In her videos, the influencer pranks people, takes up challenges and uses enticing headlines to talk about TV shows, relationships and embarrassing social situations.
Tala Safwan rose to prominence on social media in 2021 and has posted videos discussing Arab celebrities like Yasmine Sabri. Her TikTok handle, which also features dance videos, has music by A-listers like Nicki Minaj and Billie Eilish.
Tala Safwan claims that her video was misinterpreted by people
Tala Safwan broke her silence about the video and responded to the backlash, stating that there was no "lesbian subtext" in her statements. She added that what she said was misunderstood by people online.
The TikToker further stated that the clip had purposely been taken from an entire video of hers to cause a stir. It is worth noting that even today, homosexuality is a forbidden topic in Saudi Arabia.
After the clip went viral and received backlash on social media, authorities in Riyadh posted on their Twitter handle that they had arrested a local resident. However, they didn't reveal Safwan or her friend's name. In the video the authorities posted, they had blurred out the faces of Tala and her friend.
According to an automated translation of the tweet, Riyadh police said:
“The Riyadh police arrested a resident who appeared in a broadcast talking to another with sexual content and suggestion that would prejudice public morals.”
Tala Safwan isn't the first influencer under fire in Saudi Arabia
This is not the first time that any influencer has come under fire due to the Kingdom's strict rules against homosexuality.
In 2018, police arrested some young men who, according to the authorities, appeared to be in a "gay wedding scene" in another viral clip.
Two years later, in 2020, authorities held and deported Mohamad al-Bokari for "imitating women." The Yemini blogger was held for endorsing homosexuality on social media after he posted a video about equal rights forthe LGBTQIA+ community.