An Egyptian court has upheld the decision to dismiss a professor from a university for sharing videos of herself belly dancing on the rooftop of her house.
Mona Prince, an English language lecturer at the state-run Suez University, posted a video in 2017 on her personal Facebook page showing her belly dancing on a terrace in traditional dress.
The video caused controversy, and some students later complained that the Professor had undermined religious values with the content she posted.
As a result, the university sacked her in 2018 after conducting an inquiry over the videos on her Facebook page.
Although Prince appealed, Egypt’s Supreme Administrative court dismissed the appeal, affirming the decision to fire her.
The court stated that Prince had committed violations including “deviating from the scientific description of the academic curricula, and spreading ideas that contradict heavenly beliefs and public order.” It also mentioned that the posting and sharing of the belly dancing clip “degrades the prestige of university professors and their responsibility to spread values.”
The court’s final verdict bars Prince from working in private or public universities, and it has stirred concerns among women’s rights activists who see it as an attempt to enforce conservative religious and social values while restricting personal freedoms.
Prince declined to comment, referring to social media posts in which she said the court’s decision made her “sad for Egypt, sad for our history, civilization and culture.”
