Manal al-Sharif
Who was Manal al-Sharif?
Computer security consultant and women's rights activist who launched the Women2Drive campaign challenging Saudi Arabia's female driving prohibition.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Manal al-Sharif (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Manal al-Sharif is a Saudi Arabian computer security consultant and women's rights activist known for challenging the country's ban on women driving. Born in 1979, she became a prominent figure in Saudi Arabia's women's rights movement by using social media and direct action campaigns. Al-Sharif is skilled in computer science and cybersecurity, having worked as a security consultant in the tech sector. Her activism gained attention in the early 2010s when she started pushing for women's right to drive in Saudi Arabia. In May 2011, she co-founded and launched the Women2Drive campaign, which encouraged Saudi women to defy the driving ban by sharing videos of themselves driving. Her involvement led to her arrest and brief detention, drawing international media to the cause. This incident sparked global discussions about women's rights in Saudi Arabia and helped gather both local and international support for reform. After her release, Al-Sharif continued her work using digital platforms to promote women's rights. She has written extensively about her experiences and the broader fight for gender equality in Saudi Arabia. Her activism played a part in the movement that led to lifting the driving ban in 2018. Besides driving rights, she has pushed for broader reforms to the male guardianship system and other restrictions on women in Saudi society. Her work is part of a larger shift among Saudi activists using technology and social media to challenge traditional restrictions and push for social change.
Before Fame
Al-Sharif grew up in a time when Saudi Arabia had strict rules on keeping genders separate and limited women's roles in public life. She decided to study computer science and technology, which were becoming more important for the kingdom's economic plans. Her work in cybersecurity gave her technical skills that later helped in her activism, especially in using digital platforms and social media to organize campaigns. In the early 2000s and 2010s, there were more conversations in Saudi society about women's roles and rights due to increased internet access, global communication, and economic pressure to have more women in the workforce. These social and technological changes set the stage for her activism.
Key Achievements
- Co-founded and launched the Women2Drive campaign in 2011
- Brought international attention to Saudi Arabia's driving ban through her arrest and activism
- Used social media and digital organizing to mobilize women's rights advocacy
- Contributed to the movement that led to the lifting of the driving ban in 2018
- Became a prominent international spokesperson for Saudi women's rights
Did You Know?
- 01.She was arrested and detained for nine days in May 2011 after posting a video of herself driving on YouTube
- 02.She worked as a computer security consultant for Saudi Aramco, the state oil company
- 03.Her Women2Drive campaign was inspired by similar activist movements and used hashtag activism to spread internationally
- 04.She has written an autobiography detailing her experiences as an activist in Saudi Arabia
- 05.She eventually left Saudi Arabia and has lived in exile due to concerns about her safety