The Saudi woman who dared to drive

Manal al-Sharif was arrested last year while driving around her home city, said Guy Adams in The Independent (U.K.). She hadn’t broken the speed limit or run a red light. Sharif was guilty of being a woman who dared to drive—a crime in Saudi Arabia. After nine days in jail, she emerged to worldwide fame: A film of her protest cruise, shot by a friend, went viral after being uploaded to YouTube. That video, and Sharif’s subsequent campaign for women’s rights, led to a barrage of death threats. “The harsher the attacks,” she says, “the better I am doing.” Sharif, 33, is an unlikely reformer. She grew up in a conservative family, and remembers burning her brother’s pop cassettes after mullahs told her that music came from “Satan’s flute.” But Sharif’s life changed in 2009 when she moved to Boston for work. For the first time, “I could live a normal life. I could look at apartments and sign a contract [without a man’s approval].” Most importantly, she could drive a car. “I thought, ‘This is how life should be.’” Soon after returning home, Sharif challenged the authorities with her now-famous journey. “You know what?” she says. “They messed with the wrong woman.”

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up