A top court in Egypt has backed a decision to oust a professor from her university job after she posted a video of herself belly dancing.
The post Mona Prince dates back to 2017 when she was an English language lecturer at the state-run Suez University. She posted a video on the social networking site Facebook’s personal account of hers showing her belly dancing on a terrace on a blue galebeya, a traditional long dress.
The incident sparked anger among some students who claimed that Prince had damaged religious principles with her content while teaching. The Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt claimed that by “deviating from the scientific description of the academic curricula, and disseminating concepts that defy heavenly faith and public order,” Prince had violated the law.
Additionally, it was stated that broadcasting and disseminating the belly dance video “degrades the standing of university instructors and their duty to propagate ideals.”
The court’s final judgement is a binding on Prince banning her from working in private or public universities. This is the latest in the long number of rulings in the country that, according to women’s rights activists, shows the intention to impose conservative values that pertains to religious and social aspects that ultimately limits personal freedom.
Prince expressed her “sadness for Egypt, sadness for our history, civilisation, and culture” over the entire episode on social media posts in response to the court’s ruling.
