Balquees Fathi, pop singer, poses in a scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, February 10, 2017. An online commercial released by Nike (NKE.N) this week that showed Arab women fencing, boxing and spinning on ice-skates has stirred controversy over its attempt to smash stereotypes about women leading home-bound lives in the conservative region. It begins with a woman nervously peering out of her doorway and adjusting her veil before going for a run in the street, while a female voice narrates in a Saudi dialect: “What will they say about you? Maybe they'll say you exceeded all expectations”. Within 48 hours the video was shared 75,000 times on Twitter and viewed almost 400,000 times on YouTube. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)





Amal Mourad, parkour trainer, performs a handstand in scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, in this undated handout photo. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)





Zahra Lari runs in a scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, February 10, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)





Amal Mourad, parkour trainer, looks on in a scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, in this undated handout photo. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)





Arifa Bseiso boxes in a scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, in this undated handout photo. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)





Arifa Bseiso boxes an opponent in a scene shot for the Nike Middle East ad campaign filmed in Dubai, UAE, February 13, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Nike)