Mecca
Woman rapper faces arrest: Saudi Arabian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a Saudi rapper whose new music video celebrates her pride in hailing from Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. Asayel Slay is dressed conservatively in the video for “Mecca Girl,” wearing a headscarf and sunglasses. “Our respect to other girls,” she raps, “but the Mecca girl is sugar candy.” Still, her video shows young men and women dancing together— a no-no in strictly sex-segregated Saudi Arabia. Mecca’s governor, Prince Khalid bin Faisal, said the “insulting” video “offends the customs and traditions of Mecca and contradicts the identity and traditions of its esteemed population.” Slay is of Eritrean origin, and critics said that if she were light-skinned, authorities would be promoting the song.