Saudi held for slapping a woman as video goes viral

A Saudi man, who was filmed slapping a woman so hard that she fell to the ground, has been arrested, a Makkah Police spokesman has confirmed.

Lt. Gen. Ati Al-Qurashi said investigators detained the Saudi man, in his 50s, and are also questioning the woman, another Saudi in her 40s.

The pair worked in a shop in the downtown Balad area in Jeddah and had a dispute that resulted in the altercation that was recorded.

The clip went viral and provoked a strong reaction on social media. In the video, the woman falls to the ground and says some angry words to the man, but no one at the scene intervenes to help her.

Abdulrahman Al-Naban, a lecturer at the General Administration Institute, expressed sympathy with the woman, and said that the man’s action did not reflect proper masculine values.

Ahmad Al-Kuthair, who saw the video, criticized onlookers who recorded the scene without helping the woman. He said: “The men at the scene should have beaten the man.”

Reham Aljifri, an interior designer, said there is no justification for a man to slap a woman. “Beating is never a solution, let alone beating a woman.”

She believed the case would be thoroughly investigated regardless of the nationality of the people involved.

Areej Al-Ghamdi, a researcher in criminology at King Abdulaziz University, said a study needed to be conducted into the incident and added that she believed that there was a need to develop an infographic showing figures on violent incidents against women.

She said many still approve of abuse against women.

Meanwhile, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah, ordered police to investigate the case and keep him informed of developments.