Althouse: "An Italian-Egyptian belly dancer with more than two million Instagram followers has been arrested in Egypt on charges of offending public morality...."

July 8, 2025

"An Italian-Egyptian belly dancer with more than two million Instagram followers has been arrested in Egypt on charges of offending public morality...."

"Linda Martino faces a year of hard labour after she was arrested at Cairo airport and accused of 'using seduction techniques and provocative dancing to incite vice.'... The indictment accuses Martino of appearing 'in indecent clothing, deliberately exposing sensitive areas of her body, in clear violation of public morals and social values.'... During an initial hearing, she defended her profession, claiming 'belly dancing is an art, it cannot be a crime. I am a dancer and the videos on which the accusations are based are normal — they show a dance performance that do not go against or violate public morality.'"

From "Egyptian belly dancer faces hard labour for ‘violating morals’/President Sisi’s hard-line government has clamped down on the art form in recent years despite its enduring popularity and cultural status" (London Times).

29 comments:

Leland said...: London Times giving a glimpse of London’s future. Right now, you only get hard labor in the UK if a tweet offends someone; 7/8/25, 11:35 AM
Ambrose said...: It will be interesting to see how Italian PM Giorgia Meloni responds.; 7/8/25, 11:52 AM
Aggie said...: Paywalled, but you can find it here. Since it's not mentioned, I'm assuming she is not a practicing Muslim.

The only thing worse than finding yourself as a 'kafir' in front of an Islamic judge in an Islamic country, is being surprised about the result. If you despise bigotry and the third-class-citizen treatment, then don't go where you are the third class citizen. If she is granted an appeal and loses it, she is facing a very hard time indeed.; 7/8/25, 11:53 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Coming soon to a London magistrate near… other London commoners going about their commonplace lives, perhaps reading this story and thinking ‘it can’t happen to me, because I’m not a belly dancer’.; 7/8/25, 11:53 AM
FormerLawClerk said...: LOL ... Egyptian companies literally broadcast pleas for tourists to come on their belly dancing tours. Most of these occur on dinner cruises up and down the Nile river. It's hardly obscene, unless you count seeing a woman's belly button obscene.

https://www.faridaadventures.com/

This one even teaches the art of Egyptian bellydancing.

https://www.ramassidetours.com/belly-dancing; 7/8/25, 12:01 PM
FormerLawClerk said...: BY the way, the photos on that spread definitely incited some vice in my pantloon area. It definitely moved.; 7/8/25, 12:04 PM
Original Mike said...: I hope the Egyptian government doesn't find out about Orion slave girls.; 7/8/25, 12:16 PM
Bob Boyd said...: It definitely moved.

Apparently that's remarkable.; 7/8/25, 12:17 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I would characterize "belly dancing" as a harder labor than anything an Egyptian justice of the peace could throw at a belly dancer.; 7/8/25, 12:17 PM
Rabel said...: A few clicks will show you that Ms. Martino's act is not what one thinks of as belly dancing.; 7/8/25, 12:24 PM
Mr. T. said...: But meanwhile here in the USA where things are just oh! so terribly fascist, Trump is a threat to mUH bLue Haired dEmocrAcy!; 7/8/25, 12:41 PM
Achilles said...: The current social media space is really ad for individuals and for society.

If a significant portion of the female population decides to refuse pair bonding and seek a polygamous life then we will end up with a reduced population of morally and intellectually stunted offspring. “Sex Work” leads to bad outcomes for society.

Also on the individual level these women end up with poor outcomes as far as life fulfillment go.

But having the government force people to do the “right” thing ends up with its own consequences.

Because there is no right answer there will always be a pendulum pattern to societal development and formation of consensus.; 7/8/25, 12:46 PM
Tina Trent said...: Leland is right. Thousands of British citizens have been interrogated by police, put through lengthy judicial procedures, and been jailed for merely saying or tweeting something deemed "hate speech." Those who don't worry about such consequences have weaponized the process and say and do whatever they like. Here in America, we just hound people out of society, threaten them with violence, humiliate them and make them lose their homes and livelihoods. We Karen them.; 7/8/25, 1:01 PM
Assistant Village Idiot said...: Rabel is correct. This is exotic dancing with some belly-dancing seasonings.; 7/8/25, 1:31 PM
mccullough said...: Cleopatra weeps; 7/8/25, 1:39 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I meant to spell ‘justice of the peace’ as ‘justice of the piece’. As in officers who take their piece home and set it by their nightstand.

Even when I’m right, I’m really wrong 😑; 7/8/25, 1:54 PM
Viva Maria said...: The only thing worse than taming a shrew is not having a shrew to tame.; 7/8/25, 1:58 PM
bagoh20 said...: Belly dancing is one of a long line of skills for which my talents are underappreciated and rarely requested. I believe envy is robbing the public of many beautiful experiences.; 7/8/25, 2:01 PM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: "LOL ... Egyptian companies literally broadcast pleas for tourists to come on their belly dancing tours. Most of these occur on dinner cruises up and down the Nile river."

My wife and I went on just such a dinner cruise with a belly dance performance as part of a tour party. What struck me was the attitude of the tour guide who was a Muslim woman. She made no bones about her disgust towards the belly dancer.; 7/8/25, 2:02 PM
Ron Winkleheimer said...: Actually, contempt might be a better description of the guide's attitude.; 7/8/25, 2:03 PM
The Middle Coast said...: All cultures are equal.; 7/8/25, 2:10 PM
Skeptical Voter said...: Ah belly dancing--it's everywhere! A few years back I attended the 60th reunion of my Southern California suburban high school class. We were a bit late because of Covid. One of my class mates "Carol"--always free spirited and a bit hippie in her life style--but not her figure --had been belly dancing in Southern California clubs until age 75 or so. I didn't see her dance--but I bought her a drink at the reunion.; 7/8/25, 2:23 PM
gspencer said...: "claiming 'belly dancing' is an art"

Hmmm, not much of a defense in a Muslim country applying Islamic law.; 7/8/25, 2:43 PM
Iman said...: “See the girl with cymbals on her fingers
Entering through the door
Ruby glistening from her navel
Shimmering around the floor
Bells on feet go ting a-ling a-linging
Going through my head
Sweat is falling just-a-like-a tear drops
Running from her head
Now she's dancing, going through the movements
Swaying to and fro
Body moving, bringing back a memory
Thoughts of long ago
Blood is rushing, temperature is rising
Sweating from my brow
Like a snake, her body fascinates me
I can't look away now

Stop, stop, stop all the dancing
Give me time to breathe
Stop, stop, stop all the dancing
Or I'll have to leave”

h/t Graham Nash / Alan Clarke / Tony Hicks; 7/8/25, 2:53 PM
Iman said...: “Can't they understand that I want her?
Happens every week
Heavy hand upon my collar
Throws me in the street”

They made him walk a mile… for a camel.; 7/8/25, 2:58 PM
Iman said...: “One of my class mates "Carol"--always free spirited and a bit hippie in her life style--but not her figure --had been belly dancing in Southern California clubs until age 75 or so.”

Mus’ be jelly ‘cause jam don’t shake like dat.; 7/8/25, 3:00 PM
Joe Bar said...: I took a peek. What she's doing is not really "belly dancing," is it?; 7/8/25, 4:21 PM
n.n said...: #MeTooBellyDancer not so private.; 7/8/25, 4:30 PM
Aggie said...: I haven't sought her videos, and the article doesn't go into detail, but I note she was arrested at the airport in Cairo. Was she coming or going? One can only wonder whether the substance of her charges were derived from online broadcast, or actual in-country performances.; 7/8/25, 4:43 PM