A YOUNG woman in Saudi Arabia is facing calls for her execution after she was pictured without a hijab.
Malak Al Shehri sparked fury on social media after she went out in public in the conservative capital Riyadh without a full body cloak – called an abaya – or a veil.
Some raged that she should be “thrown to the dogs” or “beheaded” for daring to stand against the country’s strict rules.
But hundreds came to her defence and praised her “bravery” for sharing the picture on Twitter.
A student from Dammam, who used the name Sara Ahmed, shared the shot, which showed Malak wearing a black coat over a brightly-coloured calf-length dress.
Malak also donned over-sized sunglasses and brown ankle boots which offered a glimpse of a tattoo on her lower right leg in the picture.
“A Saudi woman went out yesterday without an Abaya or a hijab in Riyadh Saudi Arabia and many Saudis are now demanding her execution,” Sara captioned the image.
The picture also sparked a hashtag which called for Malak’s imprisonment.
Sara said Malak received so many death threats that she was forced to delete her account.
“So many people re-tweeted it and what she did reached extremists, so she got threats,” the student told the International Business Times.
“She deleted her tweets but they didn’t stop, so she deleted her account.”
While some vented their outrage, many voiced their support and encouraged others to “stand with Malak”.
Feroze Mithiborwala wrote: “Stand in solidarity with Malak Al Shehri!! The imposition of the Hijab-Burkha-Nikab-Abaya must end!
“There should be no compulsion in religion!”
Farah added: “It’s about time to protest against this abaya prison against women.”
All women in Saudi Arabia – local and foreign – are legally required to wear an abaya – which is a traditional full-body covering.
Muslim women must also wear a headscarf – or hijab – but foreigners do not need to.
The face does not need to be covered, but some opt to wear the full burka.
