Manal al-Sharif – The Freedom Drive

By vinodnarayan on August 18, 2013 • ( 0 )

There is an uncomfortable question in many minds…. some forcibly put it down for varied reasons, some ignore while some take notice….. and the question is simple said but complex understanding…

The question is “What options do we have when we see something wrong happen around us?”

While we might fall into one of these roles I would believe that taken the fact that people are inherently good we will all take notice, but not all of us will act…. we move on probably with a nod of disapproval and silent support…. but some people are different and Manal al-sharif is one such courageous lady….

She has been fighting an unwritten law in her homeland… Saudi women are not legally restricted to drive but not many drive because they are often forbidden by the people who think that the society has to run not based on law but some other factors they fancy…

So based on how you look; it can be illegal to stop or forbid Saudi women from driving… And that is exactly what Manal would have thought when she set out on her journey…. she went ahead and started encouraging women to drive and come out and campaign for the same….

The result was of course was warnings, threats and even jail.. Listen to her at TED as she tells us why and how she did what she had to… We need a stronger word than Brave and courageous to define Manal