- Sebastian Ash
- Arab Affairs Editor, Eastern Province
5 hours ago
Tala Safwan said the clip was taken out of context
A famous Egyptian Tik Tok and YouTube star on social media was arrested in Saudi Arabia, on charges of “publishing sexually suggestive content.”
Tala Safwan, who is followed by five million people on Tik Tok and regarding 800,000 followers on YouTube, sparked outrage on the Internet amid allegations that a recent video clip carried homosexual innuendo.
But Safwan said that was not her intention. However, police said the video might harm public morals.
Known for her short dark hair and expressive face, Tala’s style is light and optimistic, targeting young teens.
Her videos contain catchy, tabloid-style headlines, and she discusses TV shows and issues her followers send in – most of them relating to relationships and embarrassing situations.
She organizes pranks and takes on challenges – just like many other successful content creators around the world.
But one of her recent videos elicited an entirely different reaction.
In the clip that sparked controversy, she was seen talking to a Saudi friend, inviting her to her home. Some have interpreted her later remarks as having “sexual overtones”.
This launched a major campaign once morest her, with the hashtag “Tala insulting the community” spreading on Twitter.
Safwan responded by saying she had been misunderstood and denied any homosexual implication in her comments – a topic that remains openly taboo in Saudi Arabia.
She said the clip was “taken out of context from the full video I recorded, in order to cause a scandal.”
As anger continued to build on social media, police in Riyadh announced that they had arrested a local resident who “appeared in a broadcast talking to another woman with sexual and suggestive content that might have a negative impact on public morals.”
Police did not name Tala Safwan, but included a clip of the video with her and her friend’s mutilated face.
This comes just days following the Saudi Media Regulatory Authority asked YouTube to remove ads it considers offensive to Islamic values and principles in the country. The regulator has threatened legal action if nothing is done.
The announcement followed complaints from Saudi parents that their children were being exposed to inappropriate content in ads broadcast on YouTube.
