PA grants bail for Palestinian DJ arrested over mosque party

Lawyer for Sama Abdulhadi, who was detained for organizing a dance event at Nabi Musa shrine in West Bank, says she is banned from leaving country and will be subjected to weekly investigations by Palestinian police

i24NEWS, AFP|
A female Palestinian DJ who was arrested last month for holding a party at a West Bank Muslim site has been freed from detention, her lawyer said.
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  • Sama Abdulhadi, 30, was released on Sunday after being bailed out for a sum of around $2,800.
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    סאמא עבד אלהאדי
    סאמא עבד אלהאדי
    DJ Sama Abdulhadi
    She will be subjected to weekly investigations by Palestinian police and is prohibited from leaving the country, her defense lawyer told Israel's Kan public broadcaster.
    Abdulhadi was arrested last Sunday after she performed at Nabi Musa, which Muslims traditionally believe is the burial place of Moses.
    She is considered to be the first Palestinian woman to have become a professional DJ.
    Video of the event posted on social media showed men and women dancing together at the gathering and drinking alcohol, sparking public anger and accusations of desecration of the holy site, which also includes a mosque.
    At one point, men entered the site and evicted the party-goers.
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    נבי מוסא
    נבי מוסא
    Nabi Musa shrine
    (Photo: Yair Paz)
    The event, one comment on Twitter said, "is really disgusting. It is an insult to the three [monotheistic] religions."
    "How dare a bunch of liberal Palestinians party at the Nabi Musa mosque?" said a commenter.
    The event also took place despite coronavirus restrictions in force in the West Bank, although organizers said that they had received official permission from the Tourism Ministry.
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    Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh at his office in Ramallah, June 27, 2019
    Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh at his office in Ramallah, June 27, 2019
    Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh
    (Photo: Reuters)
    At the request of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, a commission of inquiry was set up "to determine what happened at Nabi Musa."
    Human rights groups, meanwhile, had condemned her arrest as a move intended to appease a section of Palestinian opinion and called for her release.

    i24NEWS contributed to this article
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