Egyptian teacher fired, divorced after video of her dancing goes viral

An Egyptian teacher and mother-of-three was fired and divorced by her husband after a video of her dancing, during a retreat with colleagues, went viral.

The woman, 30-year-old Aya Youssef, was caught on camera earlier this month joyfully dancing while wearing a headscarf, trousers and long-sleeved top as she enjoyed a cruise on the Nile with her workmates.

The video has since elicited mixed reactions in the pre-dominantly Muslim nation with some detractors arguing that Yousef went against Islamic teachings; others are however standing behind her in solidarity.

Cases of Egyptian women being subjected to vilification attacks on social media have been mushrooming in the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi-led nation with the some members of the public calling for the perpetrators to be brought to book.

In an interview with a local TV station, Youssef claims that she had been ‘’happy’’ during the cruise and that the dancing was “spontaneous’’.

"All of us were dancing," Youssef is quoted as saying by AFP.

Following the incident, Youssef’s name was forwarded to a disciplinary committee by the Egyptian education ministry, which proceeded to sack her.

Youssef was however reinstated this week after Nihad Abu al-Qumsan, the head of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, argued her case in court.

"We will ask the court about the correct dance rules -- so that all women would conform to the right rules if they dance in their brother's or their son's weddings, or at birthdays," Qumsan told AFP sarcastically.

Youssef also told local newspaper Al-Watan that she would seek legal action against the still unknown person who posted the video for ruining her home.