Saudi Arabian women's rights activists reveals how she was jailed for driving a motorcar

SAUDI Arabian women's rights activist Manal Al-Sharif has revealed that she was jailed for none days in 2011 after being found guilty of contravening the country's strict ban on female driving.
 

Manal Al-Sharif, who now lives in Sydney, spent nine days behind bars after being charged with driving while female after she uploaded a YouTube video of herself travelling through the streets of Khobar in May 2011. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that forbids women from driving but the ban did not deter the now 38-year-old from taking control over her life.

However, the protest that gained global attention came with consequences as she lost custody of her then five-year-old son, now aged 11. The young mother said she was faced with a relentless backlash after the video attracted more than 700,000 views within 24 hours.

“I was jailed because I challenged the ban. I lost custody of my son, my job and my home but I just have to accept the consequences, otherwise, women don’t move forward.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life I regret but I didn’t choose to be arrested for driving. I was tired of accepting these awkward rules, so I wanted to prove a point,” she said.

Despite holding a driver’s license, Ms Al-Sharif said women were still not allowed to drive simply because they were legally minors in the country. She explained that Saudi women were depicted as queens so they were protected by the kingdom of men.

Ms Al-Sharif added: “I just couldn’t believe the charges laid against me as I was charged with driving while female and I was put in jail with criminals. I remember the prison guard asking me why I was there.

“Driving a car as a woman, you really stir the whole country as I was called a whore and people accused me of corrupting Muslims, calling me all kinds of names. People were even calling me crazy and saying I should be locked up in a mental hospital.”

She added that it does matter if you are a highly educated woman, you still need a male guardian to give you permission to do things in Saudi Arabia. Ms Al-Sharif explained that when she got married to her second husband, she needed to get permission from her father and a special permission from the government because she was not allowed to marry a non-Saudi man.