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Neither a Hero Nor a Revolutionary! "The rain begins with a single drop! Manal Al Sharif, the woman activist from an unlikely country, ended her autobiography repeating the above noted Arabian saying that she had also quoted while she was being interviewed by CNN. I am not sure how many of us have heard about this courageous woman who confronted bravely the fiercely patriarchal ways practiced by the people of the male dominated Saudi society to establish the rights of the women of the kingdom! It does not matter to me whether the rain starts with a single drop or not but I believe that nothing positive happens until someone tries to start it to happen! Manal Al Sharif is an example of such a person who started something in a country where women are not considered free, where they are not equally treated like a man and where justice for women are almost sometimes nonexistence! I finished reading Manal’s well written Autobiography, “Daring to Drive, a Saudi Woman’s Awakening”, a few days back, and since then I wanted to know more about this lady who is much younger than my own and who was only 5 years old when I had the opportunity to say prayers for the first time in my life in the year 1984, at the Grand Mosque of Mecca, the city where Manal was growing up with her siblings. Manal never wanted to be either a hero or a revolutionary! However, she felt that someone among the Saudi Women should come forward to speak up loudly about their rights! She was not a professional activist. We can call her an accidental activist who stood up to a kingdom of men! And she chose to drive a car as the starting point.        |
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I did not remember her name, although I remember the incident at the time. Is she still living there?
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I did not remember her name, although I remember the incident at the time. Is she still living there?
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Thank you so much for stopping by my blog page, Tanzanite. The patriarchal ways being practiced by the people of the male dominated Saudi society is bound to change gradually as the Saudi women are different now! They have learned to stand up to a Kingdom of men to establish their rights. Manal has shown them how to do it.
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NewOrleansOlStud ....Thanks for visiting my blog and also for your comment left there on the page! I appreciate. Hope to read from you here on my blogs in future also.
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8/3/2017 5:40 pm |
Thanks for sharing this look. I applaud women like her who are willing to standup for what they feel is right and just.
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Thanks for sharing this look. I applaud women like her who are willing to standup for what they feel is right and just.
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I read on the Internet that she is residing in Australia with Brazilian husband and three old child. She was a brave woman. I have a friend who worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in the late 70's. Women were not allowed to anywhere alone in public. She lived in a compound provided by hospital where she worked. She enjoyed her time there even though she was restricted where she could go. Certainly times have changed since she was there.
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I read on the Internet that she is residing in Australia with Brazilian husband and three old child. She was a brave woman. I have a friend who worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in the late 70's. Women were not allowed to anywhere alone in public. She lived in a compound provided by hospital where she worked. She enjoyed her time there even though she was restricted where she could go. Certainly times have changed since she was there.
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