Wearing trousers gets Sudanese singer in trouble

On 21 October 2018, the singer appeared in the Public Order Court but the session was postponed to an unknown date.

The Baj news website reported that the Public Order Police, also referred to as the moral police, arrested Salim after images showing the singer wearing trousers during an event in the capital Khartoum were circulated on social media sites. She was released on bail three days later. 

Salim violated Article 152 of the Sudanese Penal Code of 1999, which states that “whoever does in a public place an indecent act or an act contrary to public morals, or wears an obscene outfit, or contrary to public morals, or causing an annoyance to public feelings, shall be punished with flogging, which may not exceed 40 lashes or with fine or with both”, according to artist rights organisation Freemuse.

The law is widely seen as one that seeks control over women in the Islamic country. Over the years the law has specifically targeted women based on the way they dress and many say that it is often used to target women who seek to participate publicly regarding national issues.

In December 2017, women's rights activist Winnie Omar and 24 other women were arrested and charged with indecency for wearing trousers. The charges were dropped after the launch of a campaign to free the women.

If convicted, Salim will join the ranks of a number of Egyptian musicians who were convicted this year. On 27 February, Laila Amer was given a jail sentence of one year over the ‘Boss Oumek’ (Look at Your Mother) music video, while Sherine Abdel received a six-month sentence for saying that drinking from the Nile River could make one sick.