Makkah governor orders arrest of female rapper

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Al Jazeera Online
Saudi officials have ordered the arrest of a female rapper who appeared in a music video for her song Bint Makkah, or Girl from Makkah, stating that it is offensive to the customs and traditions of the holy city.

In the video, a Saudi woman identified as Ayasel Slay raps about her pride in being from Mecca, home to the holiest site in Islam, the Kaaba.

The video was uploaded to Ayasel's YouTube channel - which has since been removed - last week and featured her rapping in a cafe with a group of smiling children as her backup dancers.

"A Makkah girl is all you need/Don't upset her, she will hurt you," sang Ayasel, describing how a woman from Makkah exceeded all other Saudi women in beauty and strength.

On Thursday, Makkah regional authorities said in a Tweet that the governor had issued orders that Ayasel and the video production team be prosecuted.

The song has attracted strong reactions from social media, with racial undertones used in the hashtag #You_Are_Not_Mecca's_Girls directed at Ayasel's African origins.

"Immediate deportation is the answer, in addition to holding every foreigner who claims to be from Makkah accountable," one user said. "Including all Somalis living here," another replied in agreement.

Others spoke out against these comments.

"If anything needs to be deported, it is your racism, your arrogance, and your deep reverence for yourselves," one Twitter user retorted.

The people on Twitter are so savage lmfao. I'm quite ignorant as to how it was disrespectful to Makkah seeing as the report says she raps about her pride in being from Mecca. I hope they're alright though and any misunderstandings cleared.