The Macarena and other things that will get you arrested in Saudi Arabia

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Three collaged screengrabs show a teen wearing a stripey shirt and sport shorts at various stages of doing the popular Macarena dance in a Saudi streetImage source, TWITTER @ahmed
Image caption,

The clip of the boy dancing to the popular choreography has been shared thousands of times

A 14-year-old has been released after being detained in Saudi Arabia for doing the Macarena in the middle of a busy road.

The boy went viral on Twitter in a clip from last year, but is now being questioned for "improper public behaviour".

The dancing boy was filmed in the city of Jeddah., external

But that's not the only surprising reason you might get arrested in Saudi Arabia.

Here are five other things that you should be careful about doing if you're in the Middle Eastern country.

Dabbing

Image source, NCNC

Earlier this month, Saudi singer, actor and TV presenter Abdallah Al Shahani was arrested for dabbing during a concert.

The hip-hop dance move is banned in the country because officials say it's a reference to drug culture.

A poster published by the Saudi ministry of drugs warns people about "the dangers of this [move] on the youth and society".

Abdallah Al Shahani was performing at a music festival., external

Witchcraft

A Saudi man was executed in 2012 on charges of "witchcraft and sorcery".

No details were given about what he was found guilty of beyond the charges of witchcraft and sorcery, but he did also admit to adultery - another criminal offence in Saudi Arabia.

There were also reports of at least two people being executed for sorcery in 2011.

Making wine

Media caption,

Karl Andree was seen greeting his son and daughter after touching down in the UK - footage courtesy of The Sun newspaper

Alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia.

In 2015, a 74-year-old Brit was put in prison for more than a year for possessing homemade wine.

His family was worried he'd be subjected to 360 lashes too, but he was eventually freed and returned to the UK after an online campaign.

Driving... if you're a woman

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Manal al-Sharif is a Saudi women's rights activist who has campaigned for the right to drive

Authorities are worried letting women drive would encourage them to leave their houses "more often than they need to".

They're only allowed to drive in the desert or inside private compounds, with families often having to hire private drivers to get them around.

Several women have been sentenced to lashes after they staged a driving protest to highlight discrimination against women.

***UPDATE***

On 26 September 2017, Saudi Arabia's King Salman issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time.

Bringing liqueur chocolates into the country

A Filipino man was sentenced to jail and 75 lashings for bringing two chocolate bars containing alcohol into the country.

He claimed he'd bought the chocolates on a flight stopover and hadn't realised they were alcoholic.

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