An Egyptian court has upheld a verdict to expel a professor from a university for sharing videos of herself belly dancing on the rooftop of her house.
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Mona Prince, who was an English language lecturer at the state-run Suez University, posted a Update in 2017 on her personal Facebook page showing her belly dancing on a terrace in a blue galabeya (long traditional dress).
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The Update stirred controversy, and some students later complained that the Professor had undermined religious values with the content she posted.
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The university sacked her in 2018 following an inquiry over the videos on her Facebook page.
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AÂ lower court affirmed the decision by state-run Suez University to fire Mona Prince.
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Prince appealed but Egypt’s Supreme Administrative court dismissed the appeal.
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The Supreme Administrative Court said Prince had committed violations including “deviating from the scientific description of the academic curricula, and spreading ideas that contradict heavenly beliefs and public order”.
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It also said that the posting and sharing of the belly dancing clip “degrades the prestige of university professors and their responsibility to spread values”.
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The court’s verdict is final and bars Prince from working in private or public universities.
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It is the latest of a number of rulings in Egypt that womens rights activists say represent an attempt to enforce conservative religious and social values while restricting personal freedoms.
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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”.