DUBAI, United Arab Emirates– Saudi authorities released a teenager detained after a video of him dancing to the 1990s hit Macarena at a Jeddah traffic light was widely shared online, according to reports Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/ahmed/status/899024462401503232
The boy’s father pledged to make sure his son respects public decency rules, Sabq Online Newspaper reported. Neither were named but the boy was described as a legal Arab resident of the kingdom, it said, adding the video was published last year.
Saudi Arabia promotes a strict version of Sunni Islam that frowns upon Western-inspired habits or traditions. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is attempting to ease some of the restrictions as he seeks to develop and entertainment industry as part of a plan to reduce the economy’s reliance on revenue from oil exports.
The short clip showed a young boy, dressed in shorts and a striped T-shirt, with headphones on, dancing oh a zebra crossing as traffic stopped at a red light.
“Children aren’t to be punished by laws for adults,” Saudi writer Nora Shanar said on Twitter. It’s better to open special schools to foster such talents, she said.
