Egyptian actress Rania Youssef will be facing trial, for wearing a revealing dress which exposed most of her legs to Cairo Film Festival.

The Egyptian actress Rania Youssef who sparked an outrage with the revealing dress she wore, could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty even though many said she should be able to wear what she wanted.

Two lawyers Amro Abdelsalam and Samir Sabri, who are known for taking celebrities to court told AFP that the 44-year-old actress’ appearance “did not meet societal values, traditions and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular”.

The lawyers accused her committing an obscene act in public, “inciting debauchery and temptation”, and “spreading vice in ways that violate established norms in Egyptian society.” The pictures of the star, who is known for her role in a number of popular Egyptian TV series, left social media users divided, with some calling her names and other defending her right to wear what she wants.

Egypt is a mostly conservative country with a Muslim majority. The Arab country has retained vestiges of secularism despite decades of growing religious conservatism, but Ms Youssef’s case serves as a reminder that Islamic fundamentalism still pervades society five years after an Islamist president was ousted by the military.

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