Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Many Saudi activists have called for imposing severe penalties on "KiKi Challenge’ dancers after the arrest of a young female in Al-Khobar over the weekend.

Prince Ahmed Bin Fahd Bin Salman, deputy emir of the Eastern Province, ordered the arrest of the young woman, who appeared in a video on social media performing the KiKi Challenge in the street while wearing indecent clothes.

The dance trend, which has taken the Internet by storm, features an individual dancing alongside a moving car to Canadian rapper Drake's hit single "In My Feelings".

What started off as a bit of fun all in the name of Instagram likes has turned into a global safety issue, with police around the world warning people against doing the challenge.

According to Al-Watan newspaper, a Saudi lawyer stated that the Al-Khobar girl, who is still under investigation, might be punished for performing the dance and wearing in the public clothes that does not fit with the Saudi culture. He added that the young woman could be slapped with a fine of SR300 to SR3,000 or a prison sentence of up to three months, or both punishments together.

In the past weeks police in several countries have warned the public against performing "KiKi Challenge," since they may endanger their lives as well as the lives of others. Multiple dancers were injured while doing the challenge.

In the past week, police in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt arrested several dancers in the street.

A Saudi female is in her 30s, who does not want to mention her name, said, “I did the KiKi Challenge and it was not that dangerous. I performed it in an empty street next to my house and I was careful. ”

Heba Abdullah, a Saudi woman working in the private sector, said enacting laws and enforcing penalties on such dancers was very important so that people would respect the safety of themselves and others. She believed the dance was putting people in risky situations.