LONDON: The recent news concerning another sex scandal for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has attracted much attention, but the implications for a 17-year-old Moroccan model's involvement has the Arab population of Europe incensed. According to Italian newspaper reports, Karima Keyek is involved in a sex scandal with the Italian Prime Minister. She claimed he gave her a $9,600 in euros, a diamond necklace and a $110,000 car. Although she is adamant that she was not involved in any sexual acts with the Prime Minister, her reports of sex sessions taking place while she was a dinner guest have sparked controversy in London's predominantly Arab neighborhood. At a Lebanese cafe on Edgeware Road, a number of local residents pointed to the notion that an Arab woman “should not be showing off her body in any instance and that it was bound to end badly.” Moataz Chahine, an Algerian businessman living in London, told Bikya Masr that Keyek “had it coming after she flaunted and used her body for monetary purposes. She is no different than a prostitute and this should not come as a surprise for anyone.” But, the debate raged on nearby, with a number of Moroccan men and women angrily telling their fellow Arab nationals that “the woman did absolutely nothing wrong. She was hired to do a job and she did it. If the Prime Minister wants to give her a car, great for her,” said Tarek Ibrahim of Rabat, who was in London visiting family. He told Bikya Masr that nobody in Morocco is even noticing the incident. “We are all accustomed to this sort of thing from Berlusconi and most knowledgeable people understand that the girl was not wrong, did not take part in sex acts and was the noble person to bring it to attention,” Ibrahim said. “To say otherwise is simply an arrogant and prideful thing to do.” For the model and belly dancer, she said the Italian PM was a “father” to her and assisted her when she was having any difficulty. The news of the parties came to light after police arrested the young Moroccan after she was accused of stealing. Berlusconi then called the police in an attempt to free her, saying incorrectly that she was a relative of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Mark Kitts, a human rights worker based in Manchester who has traveled extensively throughout North Africa said that the local Arab populations in Europe are likely to lash out against women, but “that is not really the reality of this group of people. Whenever something similar to this occurs, any minority group makes similar claims.” He called on the media not to get bogged down in discussing women's rights and Islam over the scandal, telling Bikya Masr that “it has nothing to do with women's rights. What it is about is the crazed behavior of a European leader and that is all.” BM
