Ewing Lecture: Manal al-Sharif “Live Free & Drive, in the Kingdom of Saudi Men”

Manal al-Sharif, a Saudi activist and campaigner, got her first driver's license in Concord, NH, at the age of thirty. When she went back to Saudi, she started a movement that shocked her country and the world. She garnered international attention after posting a video on YouTube of herself, driving, in an act of civil disobedience. In retaliation, the Saudi government detained al-Sharif and charged her with “disturbing public order" and “inciting public opinion." Over 4,500 Saudis signed a petition to King Abdullah demanding her release. After sustained pressure from domestic and international groups, al-Sharif was released on the conditions that she post bail, return for questioning upon request, and refrain from driving and from speaking to the media. She remains an active critic of the Saudi authorities. Foreign Policy named al-Sharif one of the “Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2011,” and in 2012, she was one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People.” She is also a Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent Laureate. Now, al-Sharif returns to New Hampshire to tell us what the media didn't report.