Allow me to start this talk with a question to everyone. You know that all over the world, people fight for their freedom, fight for their rights. Some battle oppressive governments. Others battle oppressive societies. Which battle do you think is harder? Allow me to try to answer this question in the few coming minutes.
Dopustite mi da započnem ovaj govor s pitanjem za sve vas. Znate da se po cijelom svijetu, ljudi bore za svoju slobodu, bore za svoja prava. Neki se bore proiv tiranske vlade. Drugi se bore protiv tiranskog društva. Koja je bitka teža, što mislite? Dopustite mi da odgovorim na ovo pitanje u nekoliko slijedećih minuta.
Let me take you back two years ago in my life. It was the bedtime of my son, Aboody. He was five at the time. After finishing his bedtime rituals, he looked at me and he asked a question: "Mommy, are we bad people?"
Dopustite da vas odvedem dvije godine unazad mog života. Bilo je vrijeme za spavanje za mog sina Aboodya. Imao je 5 godina. Nakon završetka njegovih rituala prije spavanja, pogledao me i upitao: "Mama, jesmo li mi zli ljudi?"
I was shocked. "Why do you say such things, Aboody?"
Bila sam šokirana. "Zašto govoriš takve stvari, Aboody?"
Earlier that day, I noticed some bruises on his face when he came from school. He wouldn't tell me what happened. [But now] he was ready to tell.
Ranije toga dana, primjetila sam modrice na njegovom licu kada je došao iz škole. Nije mi rekao što se dogodilo. (Ali sada) bio je spreman reći.
"Two boys hit me today in school. They told me, 'We saw your mom on Facebook. You and your mom should be put in jail.'"
"Dva dječaka su me danas udarila u školi. Rekli su mi, "Vidjeli smo tvoju majku na Facebooku. Ti i tvoja majka bi trebali biti u zatvoru."
I've never been afraid to tell Aboody anything. I've been always a proud woman of my achievements. But those questioning eyes of my son were my moment of truth, when it all came together. You see, I'm a Saudi woman who had been put in jail for driving a car in a country where women are not supposed to drive cars. Just for giving me his car keys, my own brother was detained twice, and he was harassed to the point he had to quit his job as a geologist, leave the country with his wife and two-year-old son. My father had to sit in a Friday sermon listening to the imam condemning women drivers and calling them prostitutes amongst tons of worshippers, some of them our friends and family of my own father. I was faced with an organized defamation campaign in the local media combined with false rumors shared in family gatherings, in the streets and in schools. It all hit me. It came into focus that those kids did not mean to be rude to my son. They were just influenced by the adults around them. And it wasn't about me, and it wasn't a punishment for taking the wheel and driving a few miles. It was a punishment for daring to challenge the society's rules.
Nikada se nisam bojala reći Aboodyu ništa. Bila sam uvijek ponosna na svoja postignuća. Ali te znatiželjne oči moga sina bila su trenutak istine, kada je sve postalo jasno. Vidite, ja sam Sudijka koja je bila strpana u zatvor zbog vožnje automobila u zemlji gdje žene ne bi trebale voziti automobile. Samo zato jer mi je dao ključeve od svog automobila, moj vlastiti brat bio je uhapšen dva puta, i bio je maltretiran toliko da je morao ostaviti svoj posao geologa, napustiti zemlju sa ženom i dvogodišnjim sinom. Moj je otac morao slušati propovijedi petkom slušajući vođu kako osuđuje žene vozače i nazivajući ih prostitutkama pred gomilom obožavatelja, od kojih su neki naši prijatelji i obitelj moga oca. Bila sam suočena sa oragniziranom kampanjom za kletvu u lokalnim medijima kombiniranom s ružnim glasinama prepričavanim na obiteljskim okupljanjima, na ulici i u školi. To me sve pogodilo. Zaključilo se da ta djeca nisu htjela biti bezobrazna prema mome sinu. Bila su pod utjecajem odraslih. I nije se radilo o meni, i to nije bila kazna za uzimanje automobla i vožnje nekoliko kilometara. To je bila kazna jer sam se usudila suprostaviti društvenim pravilima.
But my story goes beyond this moment of truth of mine. Allow me to give you a briefing about my story. It was May, 2011, and I was complaining to a work colleague about the harassments I had to face trying to find a ride back home, although I have a car and an international driver's license. As long as I've known, women in Saudi Arabia have been always complaining about the ban, but it's been 20 years since anyone tried to do anything about it, a whole generation ago.
Ali priča ide dalje od ovog momenta moje istine. Dopustite mi da vam ukratko ispričam svoju priču. Bio je svibanj, 2011., žalila sam se kolegama s posla o neugodnostima s kojima sam se suočavala pokušavajući naći prijevoz do doma, iako sam imala automobil i međunarodnu vozačku dozvolu. Koliko znam, žene u Saudijskoj Arabiji su se oduvijek žalile o zabranama, ali prošlo je 20 godina otkad je itko pokušao učiniti nešto u vezi toga, cijela generacija prije.
He broke the good/bad news in my face. "But there is no law banning you from driving."
Rekao mi je dobro/loše vijesti. "Ali ne postoji zakon koji ti zabranjuje vožnju."
I looked it up, and he was right. There wasn't an actual law in Saudi Arabia. It was just a custom and traditions that are enshrined in rigid religious fatwas and imposed on women. That realization ignited the idea of June 17, where we encouraged women to take the wheel and go drive. It was a few weeks later, we started receiving all these "Man wolves will rape you if you go and drive." A courageous woman, her name is Najla Hariri, she's a Saudi woman in the city of Jeddah, she drove a car and she announced but she didn't record a video. We needed proof.
Pogledala sam i bio je u pravu. Nije postojao pravi zakon u Saudijskoj Arabiji. To je bio samo običaj i tradicija sadržani u strogim religijskim mišljenjima nametnut ženama. Ta spoznaja je potpalila ideju koja je nastala 17. lipnja, gdje smo mi ohrabrile žene da sjednu u automobil i voze. Bilo je to nekoliko tjedana kasnije kada smo zaprimile sve te "Muškarci će vas silovati ako ćete voziti." Hrabra žena, koja se zove Najla Hariri, Saudijka iz Jeddaha, vozila je automobil i to obznanila ali nije snimila video. Trebali smo dokaz.
So I drove. I posted a video on YouTube. And to my surprise, it got hundreds of thousands of views the first day. What happened next, of course? I started receiving threats to be killed, raped, just to stop this campaign.
Stoga sam ja vozila. I objavila video na YouTubeu. Na moje iznenađenje, imala sam više od tisuću pregleda prvi dan. Što se dalje dogodilo, naravno? Počela sam zaprimati prijetnje da ću biti ubijena, samo kako bih prestala s tom kampanjom.
The Saudi authorities remained very quiet. That really creeped us out. I was in the campaign with other Saudi women and even men activists. We wanted to know how the authorities would respond on the actual day, June 17, when women go out and drive. So this time I asked my brother to come with me and drive by a police car. It went fast. We were arrested, signed a pledge not to drive again, released. Arrested again, he was sent to detention for one day, and I was sent to jail. I wasn't sure why I was sent there, because I didn't face any charges in the interrogation. But what I was sure of was my innocence. I didn't break a law, and I kept my abaya — it's a black cloak we wear in Saudi Arabia before we leave the house — and my fellow prisoners kept asking me to take it off, but I was so sure of my innocence, I kept saying, "No, I'm leaving today." Outside the jail, the whole country went into a frenzy, some attacking me badly, and others supportive and even collecting signatures in a petition to be sent to the king to release me. I was released after nine days.
Saudijska vlast bila je vrlo mirna. To nas je zaista zgrozilo. Bila sam u kampanji sa ostalim Saudijkama ali i muškim aktivistima. Željeli smo znati kako će vlasti odgovoriti na taj dan, 17. lipanj, kada će žene izaći i voziti. Ovoga sam puta upitala brata da ide sa mnom i vozi pored policijskog automobila. Brzo se odvijalo. Bili smo uhićeni, potpisali smo da nećemo više voziti, pušteni. Uhićen ponovo, bio je zadržan jedan dan, a ja poslana u zatvor. Nisam bla sigurna zašto sam poslana tamo, jer nisam bila suočena s nikakvim optužbama na ispitivanju. Ali ono što sam bila sigurna je bila moja nevisnost. Nisam prekršila zakon, zadržala sam svoju odjeću - crni ogrtač koji oblačimo u Saudijskoj Arabiji prije izlaska iz kuće- i ljudi koji su bili sa mnom u zatvoru su nastavljali govoriti mi da to skinem sa sebe ali bila sam sigurna u svoju nevinost, nastavila sam govoriti, "Ne, danas odlazim." Izvan zatvora, cijela zemlja je bila bijesna, neki napadajući me, drugi podržavajući i skupljajući potpise za peticiju za kralja da me oslobodi. Bila sam puštena devet dana kasnije.
June 17 comes. The streets were packed with police cars and religious police cars, but some hundred brave Saudi women broke the ban and drove that day. None were arrested. We broke the taboo.
17. lipanj e došao. Ulice su bile prepune policijskih automobila i vjerskih policijskih automobila, ali oko stotine hrabrih Saudijka prekršile su zabranu i vozile toga dana. Nitko nije bio uhićen. Razbile smo tabu.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
So I think by now, everyone knows that we can't drive, or women are not allowed to drive, in Saudi Arabia, but maybe few know why. Allow me to help you answer this question.
Mislim da od sada, svi znaju da ne možemo voziti, ili da ženama nije dozvoljeno voziti, u Saudijskoj Arabiji, ali samo nekoliko zna zašto. Dopustite mi da vam pomognem odgovoriti na ovo pitanje.
There was this official study that was presented to the Shura Council -- it's the consultative council appointed by the king in Saudi Arabia — and it was done by a local professor, a university professor. He claims it's done based on a UNESCO study. And the study states, the percentage of rape, adultery, illegitimate children, even drug abuse, prostitution in countries where women drive is higher than countries where women don't drive.
Postoji službena studija koja je bila predstavljena na Shura vijeću -- to je savjetodavno vijeće postavljeno od kralja Saudijske Arabije -- koje je napravio lokalni profesor, sveučilišni profesor. Tvrdi da je učinjeno na temelju UNESCO-ve studije. A studija navodi, postotak silovanja, preljuba, izvanbračne djece, čak i zlouporabe droga, prostitucija u zemljama gdje žene voze je veći nego u zemljama gdje žene ne voze.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
I know, I was like this, I was shocked. I was like, "We are the last country in the world where women don't drive." So if you look at the map of the world, that only leaves two countries: Saudi Arabia, and the other society is the rest of the world.
Znam, i ja sam tako mislila, bila sam šokirana. Mislila sam, "Mi smo jedina zemlja u svijetu gdje žene ne voze." Ako pogledate kartu svijeta, samo su dvije zemlje: Saudijska Arabija, i ostalo društvo je ostatak svijeta.
We started a hashtag on Twitter mocking the study, and it made headlines around the world.
Pokrenuli smo hashtag na Twitteru ismijavajući studiju i dospio je na naslovnice u cijelome svijetu.
[BBC News: 'End of virginity' if women drive, Saudi cleric warns]
(BBC Novosti: "Kraj djevičanstva ako žene voze, Saudijski klerik upozorava)
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
And only then we realized it's so empowering to mock your oppressor. It strips it away of its strongest weapon: fear.
Tada smo tek shvatili da je to osnaživanje kako bi ismijao svog mučitelja. To uklanja najjače oružje: strah.
This system is based on ultra-conservative traditions and customs that deal with women as if they are inferior and they need a guardian to protect them, so they need to take permission from this guardian, whether verbal or written, all their lives. We are minors until the day we die. And it becomes worse when it's enshrined in religious fatwas based on wrong interpretation of the sharia law, or the religious laws. What's worst, when they become codified as laws in the system, and when women themselves believe in their inferiority, and they even fight those who try to question these rules.
Ovaj se sistem bazira na ultra-konzervativnim tradicijama i običajima koji se odnose na žene kao da su inferiorne i trebaju čuvara da ih zaštiti, pa moraju dobiti dopuštenje od čuvara, bilo verbalno ili pisano, cijeli svoj život. Mi smo maloljetnici sve do dana kada umremo. I postaje gore kada je to zapisano u religijskim zapisima temeljeno na krivim interpretacijama šerijatskog zakona, ili religijskih zakona. Što je najgore, kada postanu definirana kao zakoni u sistemu, kada žene same vjeruju u svoju inferiornost, čak se i bore protiv onih koji preispituju takva pravila.
So for me, it wasn't only about these attacks I had to face. It was about living two totally different perceptions of my personality, of my person -- the villain back in my home country, and the hero outside.
Za mene, nije se radilo samo o napadima s kojima sam se morala suočiti. Radilo se o životu dvije potpuno različite percepcije moje osobnosti, mene kao osobe -- negativac u mojoj rodnoj zemlji, a junak vani.
Just to tell you, two stories happened in the last two years. One of them is when I was in jail. I'm pretty sure when I was in jail, everyone saw titles in the international media something like this during these nine days I was in jail.
Samo da znate, dvije su se priče dogodile u zadnje dvije godine. Jedna od njih je da sam bila u zatvoru. Gotovo sam sigurna da su svi vidjeli naslove u međunarodnim medijima kada sam bila u zatvoru poput ovih tijekom devet dana dok sam bila u zatvoru.
But in my home country, it was a totally different picture. It was more like this: "Manal al-Sharif faces charges of disturbing public order and inciting women to drive."
Ali u mojoj rodnoj zemlji, bila je potpuno drukčija slika. Više poput ovoga: "Manal al-Sharif suočava se s optužbama remećenja javnog reda i mira i poticanja žena da voze."
I know.
Znam.
"Manal al-Sharif withdraws from the campaign."
"Manal al- Sharif se povlači iz kampanje."
Ah, it's okay. This is my favorite.
Ah, to je u redu. Ovo mi je najdraže.
"Manal al-Sharif breaks down and confesses: 'Foreign forces incited me.'"
"Manal al-Sharif se slama i priznaje: 'Inozemne snage su me potaknule'."
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
And it goes on, even trial and flogging me in public. So it's a totally different picture.
To se nastavlja, pa čak i javno suđenje i šibanje. To je potpuno drugačija slika.
I was asked last year to give a speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum. I was surrounded by this love and the support of people around me, and they looked at me as an inspiration. At the same time, I flew back to my home country, they hated that speech so much. The way they called it: a betrayal to the Saudi country and the Saudi people, and they even started a hashtag called #OsloTraitor on Twitter. Some 10,000 tweets were written in that hashtag, while the opposite hashtag, #OsloHero, there was like a handful of tweets written. They even started a poll. More than 13,000 voters answered this poll: whether they considered me a traitor or not after that speech. Ninety percent said yes, she's a traitor. So it's these two totally different perceptions of my personality.
Pitali su me prošle godine da održim govor na Forumu slobode u Oslu. Bila sam okružena ljubavlju i podrškom ljudi oko mene, i gledali su me kao inspiraciju. U isto vrijeme, odletjela sam natrag u svoju zemlju, oni su mrzili taj govor. Nazvali su ga: izdaja Saudijske zemlje i Saudijaca, i čak su napravili pokrenuli hashtag na Twitteru #OsloIzdajnik(#OsloTraitor). Oko 10 000 tweetova je napisano s tim hashtagom, dok je suprotni hashtag na Twitteru glasio #OsloJunak(#OsloHero), bila je šačica tweetovai. Čak su započeli anketiranje. Više od 13 000 glasača odgovorilo je na anketu: da li me smatraju izdajicom ili ne nakon govora. 90% je reklo da, ona je izdajica. Tako da su to dvije potpuno različite percepcije moje osobnosti.
For me, I'm a proud Saudi woman, and I do love my country, and because I love my country, I'm doing this. Because I believe a society will not be free if the women of that society are not free. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause) Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause)
Za mene, ja sam ponosna Sudijka, volim svoju zemlju, i zato što je volim činim ovo. Zbog toga što mislim da društvo neće biti slobodno ako žene toga društva nisu slobodne. (Pljesak) Hvala vam. (Pljesak) Hvala, hvala, hvala, hvala. (Pljesak)
Thank you.
Hvala.
But you learn lessons from these things that happen to you. I learned to be always there. The first thing, I got out of jail, of course after I took a shower, I went online, I opened my Twitter account and my Facebook page, and I've been always very respectful to those people who are opining to me. I would listen to what they say, and I would never defend myself with words only. I would use actions. When they said I should withdraw from the campaign, I filed the first lawsuit against the general directorate of traffic police for not issuing me a driver's license. There are a lot of people also -- very big support, like those 3,000 people who signed the petition to release me. We sent a petition to the Shura Council in favor of lifting the ban on Saudi women, and there were, like, 3,500 citizens who believed in that and they signed that petition. There were people like that, I just showed some examples, who are amazing, who are believing in women's rights in Saudi Arabia, and trying, and they are also facing a lot of hate because of speaking up and voicing their views.
Ali učite lekciju iz stvari koje se dešavaju vama. Ja sam naučila biti uvijek tamo. Prva stvar, izašla sam iz zatvora, naravno nakon što sam se otuširala, otišla sam na internet, otvorila svoj Twitter račun i Facebook stranicu, i uvijek sam bila vrlo obzirna prema ljudima koji su izražavali svoje mišljenje prema meni. Slušala bih što govore, i nikada ne bih sebe branila samo riječima. Koristila bih djela. Kada su rekli da se trebam povući iz kampanje, podnijela sam prvu tužbu protiv ravnateljstva prometne policije jer mi nisu izdali vozačku dozvolu. Također je mnogo ljudi -- koji su velika podrška, oko 3 000 ljudi koji su potpisali peticiju da me oslobode. Poslali smo peticiju Vijeću Shura u prilog ukidanja zabrane Saudijkama, i oko 3 500 građana vjerovalo je u to i potpisalo je peticiju. Bilo je takvih ljudi, samo sam pokazala neke primjere koji su nevjerojatni, koji vjeruju u ženska prava u Saudijskoj Arabiji, i koji pokušavaju, oni se susreću s puno mržnje zbog govora i izražavanja svojih pogleda.
Saudi Arabia today is taking small steps toward enhancing women's rights. The Shura Council that's appointed by the king, by royal decree of King Abdullah, last year there were 30 women assigned to that Council, like 20 percent. 20 percent of the Council. (Applause) The same time, finally, that Council, after rejecting our petition four times for women driving, they finally accepted it last February. (Applause) After being sent to jail or sentenced lashing, or sent to a trial, the spokesperson of the traffic police said, we will only issue traffic violation for women drivers. The Grand Mufti, who is the head of the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia, he said, it's not recommended for women to drive. It used to be haram, forbidden, by the previous Grand Mufti.
Danas Saudijska Arabija poduzima male korake prema poboljšanju ženskih prava. Vijeće Shura koje je imenovano od strane kralja, kraljvskom odlukom kralja Abdullaha, prošle godine preko 30 žena dodijeljeno je Vijeću, oko 20%. 20 posto Vijeća. (Pljesak) U isto vrijeme, napokon, to Vijeće, nakon odbacivanja naše peticije da žene voze četiri puta, napokon su to prihvatili prošle veljače. (Pljesak) Nakon slanja u zatvor ili bičevanja, ili slanja na sud, glasnogovornik prometne policije je rekao, samo ćemo izdati prometni prekršaj za žene koje voze. The Grand Mufti, koji je glavni za religijska utemeljenja u Saudijskoj Arabiji, rekao je, da nije preporučljivo da žene voze. Prije je postojala zabrana, prethodnog Grand Muftija.
So for me, it's not about only these small steps. It's about women themselves.
Za mene, ne radi se samo o malim koracima. radi se o samim ženama.
A friend once asked me, she said, "So when do you think this women driving will happen?"
Jednom me prijateljica pitala, "Kada misliš da će se dogoditi to da žene voze?"
I told her, "Only if women stop asking 'When?' and take action to make it now."
Rekla sam joj, "Samo kada žene prestanu ispitivati 'Kada?' i započnu akciju da to naprave sada."
So it's not only about the system, it's also about us women to drive our own life, I'd say.
Dakle, ne radi se samo o sistemu, radi se i nama ženama, rekla sam.
So I have no clue, really, how I became an activist. And I don't know how I became one now. But all I know, and all I'm sure of, in the future when someone asks me my story, I will say, "I'm proud to be amongst those women who lifted the ban, fought the ban, and celebrated everyone's freedom."
Ne znam, zaista, kako sam postala aktivist. Ne znam kako sam postala jedan od njih. Ali ono što znam, i što sam sigurna, u budućnosti kada me netko pita za moju priču, reći ću, "Ponosna sam što sam među ovim ženama koje su uklonile zabranu, borile se, i slavile slobodu svih."
So the question I started my talk with, who do you think is more difficult to face, oppressive governments or oppressive societies? I hope you find clues to answer that from my speech.
Pitanje s kojim sam započela govor, što mislite, s čime se teže suočiti, tiranskom vladom ili tiranskim društvom? Nadam se da ćete naći indicije za odgovor iz moga govora.
Thank you, everyone.
Hvala vam, svima.
(Applause) Thank you. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause)
(Pljesak) Hvala. (Pljesak) Hvala. (Pljesak)