September 7, 2004
Saudi women beaten for mobile phone snapping
I'm not sure this is news, as a very similar story was reported in July, involving one woman though, not two.
"Two Saudi women were badly beaten by other female guests at a wedding party in the kingdom when they were seen using a mobile phone to photograph the segregated celebration", Al-Jazirah reported today, according to Fairfax Digital.
"As one woman informed the guests that two young women (who were about to leave) had a camera-equipped mobile phone, the female relatives of the bride and bridegroom hurried and caught them," the daily said.
"They beat them ... fiercely and destroyed their mobile phone."
Camera-equipped mobile phones are banned in the conservative kingdom.
Related articles:
-- Mobile pictures spark violence - A wedding party in Saudi Arabia turned violent after a female guest was caught using her mobile phone to take digital photographs of other women at the celebration.
-- Footage of an assault in Saudi Arabia through cameraphones - A rape scandal broke after the two men reportedly circulated footage of the assault through mobile phones equipped with cameras.
-- Woman fired over mobile snapshots - A Saudi woman has been expelled from her university for taking pictures of unveiled colleagues with a camera-equipped mobile phone osting them on the Internet.
-- Saudi Arabia and phonecams When the Saudi people finally rise up in revolt and throw out the House of Saud," fellow Saudi blogger, Alhamedi Alanezi says, " it won't be for democratic reform, and it won't be for an islamic republic. It'll be about mobile phones".
-- Saudi Arabia enforces ban on camera phones - The Saudi government began enforcing a ban on the sale of camera-equipped mobile phones.
-- Banned Camera Phones Selling Like Hot Cakes in Jeddah's Black Market - Mobile camera phones are hot sellers this Eid season - a celebration to mark the end of Islam's holiest season - despite a Kingdomwide ban and a significant increase in retail price.
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/picturephoning/archives/2004/09/005233.htm