cultural controversy

A Italian stomach dancer, Linda Martino, was arrested and imprisoned in Egypt because her appearance was considered to show immoral in public. This 32 -year -old woman was detained after a number of dance videos wearing minimal clothing circulating widely on social media.

The action of a woman with more than 2.2 million followers on Instagram attracted the attention of local authorities in Cairo, the city where she lived and worked. Linda must now face the accusation of ‘damaging public decency and family and community values.

In the video uploaded on social media, Linda is seen dancing with a typical hip movement of Belly Dance while teasing the audience with sensual gestures at a direct show in Cairo. According to the Italian media report, prosecutors in Cairo considered Linda, “deliberately wearing clothes that invite lust and perform dance movements that are sexually connoted.”

This arrest took place amidst the tight moral rules under the administration of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who since serving in 2014 imposed strict supervision of freedom of expression, especially in the world of entertainment. In the last two years, at least 14 stomach dancers have been detained on similar charges.

One of the accusations addressed to Linda is related to the content on her social media account, which according to authority contains obscene elements and incitement of immoral behavior. “It was also stated that in the video, she wore inappropriate clothes and deliberately showed excessive body parts.

“This action clearly violates the norms of public politeness and community values,” said the local authority, as quoted by the Daily Mail.

Linda was arrested on June 22, 2025 when she was about to fly from Cairo Airport to Dubai for an international tour. He has undergone the inaugural trial in court, but the request for guarantees was rejected. In the trial, Linda defended himself related to his profession and dance as a stomach dancer.

“Stomach dance is a form of art. I do not invite people to do obscene or immoral. My show is not a crime. What you see on my social media is an art performance. Some clips have even been edited to give a bad impression of me. I have all the official licenses and documents to perform professionally, and the videos that I uploaded were all reasonable,” he said.

Linda continued, “My dance series did not cross the boundary and did not offend the public morals.”

Linda was born in Egypt, then moved to Italy in 2011 after marrying a businessman named Domenico Martino. They had lived in the city of Cremona, northern Italy, before finally settling in Switzerland. The couple divorced last year, but Linda still holds Italian citizenship.

Unfortunately, this citizenship status is not recognized by the Egyptian authority, and if found guilty, he can face prison sentences for up to one year with forced labor.
The Italian government has known this case and has contacted Linda’s ex -husband and tried to arrange consular visits as a form of legal assistance.

Linda Martino, a stomach dancer was captured in Egypt because he was considered indecent. Photo: Instagram/@lindamartino_

Belly dance or stomach dance is a form of dance that focuses on hip movements, stomach, and middle parts. This dance comes from the Middle East, especially Egypt, and is known by various local names, for example Raqs Sharqi (Oriental dance) in Egypt.

Over time, Belly Dance spread to various countries and had different cultural influences, so that the styles and costumes vary. Starting from costumes with sparkling coins, hip shawls, to luxurious stage costumes.

Besides being considered as a performance art, Belly Dance is also popular as a fitness sport because it can help train flexibility, core muscle strength, and posture.

(hst/hst)