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Manal al-Sharif wants Americans to know of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses
Source: The Guardian
Manal al-Sharif wants Americans to know of Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses
The Saudi activist will drive across the US to bring awareness to Americans of the strict guardianship laws in her country – ‘I’m turning 40 today, and my son is still my guardian’
Lauren Aratani in New York
Fri 12 Apr 2019 13.31 BST Last modified on Fri 12 Apr 2019 16.50 BST
Manal al-Sharif made history in Saudi Arabia eight years ago when she broke the law, simply by getting behind the wheel of a car and driving.
Video footage of her stunt went viral, gaining over 700,000 views on YouTube in a day, and propelling Sharif to the frontlines of a battle against the kingdom’s ultraconservative government.
Now, after Saudi Arabia finally made it legal for women to drive last year, Sharif is speaking out again by driving over 3,000 miles across the United States to raise awareness among Americans on human rights abuses in her home country.
Starting in San Francisco on Friday, the 10-stop tour of major US cities is sponsored by not-for-profit Human Rights Foundation, and will involve travelling over 3,000 miles, taking in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and Birmingham, Alabama.
It will culminate in a protest outside the Saudi embassy in Washington DC on 25 April, her birthday, to call out Saudi Arabia’s strict guardianship laws, which require women to have the permission of a man to do basic things, like go to school or to the hospital.
-snip-
The Saudi activist will drive across the US to bring awareness to Americans of the strict guardianship laws in her country – ‘I’m turning 40 today, and my son is still my guardian’
Lauren Aratani in New York
Fri 12 Apr 2019 13.31 BST Last modified on Fri 12 Apr 2019 16.50 BST
Manal al-Sharif made history in Saudi Arabia eight years ago when she broke the law, simply by getting behind the wheel of a car and driving.
Video footage of her stunt went viral, gaining over 700,000 views on YouTube in a day, and propelling Sharif to the frontlines of a battle against the kingdom’s ultraconservative government.
Now, after Saudi Arabia finally made it legal for women to drive last year, Sharif is speaking out again by driving over 3,000 miles across the United States to raise awareness among Americans on human rights abuses in her home country.
Starting in San Francisco on Friday, the 10-stop tour of major US cities is sponsored by not-for-profit Human Rights Foundation, and will involve travelling over 3,000 miles, taking in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and Birmingham, Alabama.
It will culminate in a protest outside the Saudi embassy in Washington DC on 25 April, her birthday, to call out Saudi Arabia’s strict guardianship laws, which require women to have the permission of a man to do basic things, like go to school or to the hospital.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/12/manal-al-sharif-saudi-arabia-human-rights-abuses
