allow me to uh to start this talk with a
question to everyone you know that all
over the world people fight for their
freedom fight for the rights some battle
oppressive governments others battle
oppressive societies which battle do you
think is harder allow me to try to
answer this question in the few coming
minutes let me take you back two years
ago in my life it was a bit time of my
son like booty he was five at the time
after finishing his bedtime rituals he
looked at me and he asked her question
mommy are we bad people or shocked why
do you say such thing Aboudi
any other day I noticed some bruises on
his face when he came from school who
didn't tell me what happened he was
ready to tell two boys hit me today in
school they told me we saw your mom and
Facebook you and your mom should be put
in jail I've never been afraid to tell a
goodie anything I've been always proud
women of my achievements but those
questioning guys of my son
well my moment of truth when it all came
together
you see I'm assigned a woman who been
put to jail for driving a car in a
country where women are not supposed to
drive cars just for giving me his car
keys my own brother was detained twice
and he was harassed to the point he had
to quit his job as a geologist leave the
country with his wife and two-year-old
son my father had to sit in a Friday
sermon listening to the Imam containing
condemning woman drivers and calling
them prostitutes amongst
of worshipers some of them are friends
and family of my own father I was faced
with organized deformation campaign in
the local media combined with false
rumors shared a lot in family gatherings
in the streets and in school it all hit
me it came into focus that those kids
were not meant to be rude to my son
they were just influenced by the adults
around them and it wasn't about me and
it wasn't a punishment for taking the
wheel and driving a few miles it was a
punishment for daring to challenge the
society's rules but my story goes beyond
this moment of truth of mine allow me to
give you a very brief thing about my
story it was May 2011 and I was
complaining to a work colleague about
the harassment I had to face trying to
find a ride back home although I have a
car an international driver's license as
long as I know woman in Saudi Arabia
have been always complaining about the
bank but it's been 20 years since anyone
tried to do anything about it a whole
generation ago he broke the good bad
news in my face but there is no law
banning you from driving I looked it up
and he was right there was an actual law
inside Arabia it was just a custom and
traditions that are enshrined in rigid
religious fet was an important woman
that realization ignited the idea of
June 17 when we encouraged women to take
the wheel and go drive it was few weeks
later we started receiving all these men
walls with Rabia if you go and drive a
courageous woman her name is Leslie her
IDI she's assigned a woman in the city
of Jeddah she drove a car and she
announced but she didn't record the
video we needed proof so I drove I
posted a video on YouTube and for my
surprise it got hundreds of thousands of
views the first day what happened next
of course I started receiving threats to
be killed raped
just to stop this campaign the Saudi
authorities remained very quiet
that really creeped us out I was in the
campaign with other side a woman and
even men activists we wanted to know how
the authorities will response when the
actual date 117 with women go out and
drive so this time I asked my brother to
come with me and drive by a police car
it went fast
we're arrested sign a plate not to drive
again released arrested again he was
sent to detention for one day and I was
sent to jail I wasn't sure why I was
sent there because I didn't face any
charges in the interrogation but what I
was sure of of my innocence I didn't
break a law and I kept my abaya it's a
black clock we were in Saudi Arabia
before we leave the house and my fila
prisoners kept asking me to take it off
but I was so sure of my innocence I kept
saying no I'm leaving today outside the
jail the whole country went into a
frenzy some attacking me badly and
others supportive and even collecting
signatures for in a petition to be sent
to the King to release me I was released
after nine days June 17 comes the the
streets were packed with police cars and
religious police cars but some 100 brave
side a woman broke the band and drove
that day none were arrested we broke the
taboo
so I think by now everyone knows that we
can drive or women are not allowed to
drive in Saudi Arabia but maybe few
knows why allow me to help you answer
this question
there was this official study that was
presented to the Shura Council
it's the consultative council appointed
by the king in Saudi Arabia and it was
done by a local professor a university
professor
he claims it's done based on a UNESCO
study under steady States the percentage
of rape adultery illegitimate children
even drug abuse prostitution in
countries would women drive is higher
than countries who were in don't drive I
know I was like this I was shocked I was
like we are the last country in world
with women don't drive so if you look at
the map of the world that only leaves
two countries Saudi Arabia and the other
Society is the rest of the world we
started a hashtag on Twitter mocking the
study and he made headlines around the
world
and only then video is is so empowering
to mock your oppressor it strips it away
of his strongest weapon fear this system
is based on ultra conservative
traditions and customs deal with moment
as they are inferior and they need a
guardian to protect them so they need to
take permission from this garden with a
verbal or written all the lives world
minors until the day we die and it
becomes worse when it's enshrined in
religious fete was based on wrong
interpretation of the Sharia law or the
religious laws what's worst when they
become codified as laws in the system
and when woman themselves belief in
their infinity and they even fight those
who try to question these rules so for
me it wasn't only about these attacks I
had to face it was about living two
totally different perception of my
personality of my person the villain
back in my home country and the hero of
just to tell you two stories happen in
the last two years one of them is when I
was in jail I'm pretty sure when I was
in jail everyone so titles in the
international media something like this
during these nine days I was in jail but
in my home country it was totally
different picture it was more like this
when Alice she faces charges of
disturbing public order and inciting
woman to drive I know
Manal al-sharif withdraws from the
campaign okay this is my favorite Manal
al-sharif breaks down and confesses
foreign forces incited me and it goes on
even trial and flogging me in public so
it's not a different picture I was asked
last year to give a speech and also
Freedom Forum I was surrounded by this
love on supportive people around me and
they looked at me as an inspiration the
same time I flew back to my home country
they hated the speech so much the way
they call it a betrayal to the sided
country undecided people and they even
started a hashtag called Oslo traitor on
Twitter some 10,000 tweets were written
in that hashtag while the opposite
hashtag Oslo hero
there was like handful of twists written
they even started a poll more than 13
thousand voters answered this poll
whether they consider me traitor or not
after that speech 90 percent said yes
she's a traitor so it's these two
totally different perception of my
personality
for me I'm a proud tidy woman and I do
love my country and because I love my
country I'm doing this because I believe
a society will not be free if woman of
that society are not free
thank you but you learn lessons from
these things that happen to you Elaine
to be always there the first thing I got
out of jail
of course after I took a shower I went
online I opened my Twitter account on my
Facebook page and I've been always very
respectful to those people who are open
it to me I would listen to what they say
and I would never defend myself with act
with words only I would use actions when
they said I would draw from the kambei I
found the first lawsuit against the
General Directorate of traffic police
for not issuing me a driver's license
there are a lot of people also very big
supportive like those 3,000 people who
signed the petition to release me like
the we sent a petition to the Shura
Council in favor of lifting the ban on
side women and the word like 3,500
citizens believes in that and they
signed that petition there are people
like that I just showed some sample who
are amazing who are believing in women's
rights in Saudi Arabia and trying and
they're also facing a lot of hate
because of speaking up and voicing their
views Saudi Arabia today is taking small
steps toward enhancing women's rights
the Shura Council that's appointed by
the king by royal decree from King
Abdullah last year there were 30 women
assigned to that council like 20 percent
20 percent of the council the same time
finally that council after rejecting our
petition four times for women driving
they finally accepted it last February
after being sent to jail or since his
lashing or sent to a trial the
spokesperson of the traffic police said
we will only issue traffic violation for
women drivers the Grand Mufti was the
head of the religious establishment in
Saudi Arabia he said it's not
recommended for women to drive used to
be Haram forbidden by the previous Grand
Mufti so for me it's not about all these
small steps
it's about warming themselves a friend
once asked me she said so what do you
think this woman driving will happen I
told her only if women stopped asking
when and take action to make it now so
it's not only about the system it's also
about us woman to drive our own life I'd
say so I have no clue really how I
become an activist and I don't know how
I became one now but all I know and all
I'm sure of in the future when someone
asked you mama asked me my story I will
say I'm proud to be amongst this woman
who lived the back fold the bag and
celebrated everyone's freedom so the
question I started my talk with who do
you think is more difficult to face
oppressive governments or oppressive
societies I hope you find clues to
answer that for my speech thank you
everyone