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.
Me lejoni ta nis kete diskutim me nje pyetje drejtuar te gjitheve. E dini se ne te gjithe boten, njerezit luftojne per lirine e tyre, luftojne per te drejtat e tyre. Disa luftojne kunder qeverive shtypese. Disa te tjere luftojne kunder shoqerive shtypese. Cila beteje mendoni se eshte me e veshtire? Me lejoni te perpiqem t'i pergjigjem kesaj pyetjeje ne minutat qe vijojne.
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?"
Me lejoni t'ju kthej dy vjet pas ne jeten time. Ishte ora e gjumit per djalin tim, Aboody. Ne ate kohe ishte pese vjec. Pasi mbaroi ritualet e ores se gjumit, ai me shikoi dhe me beri nje pyetje: "Mami, a jemi njerez te keqinj?"
I was shocked. "Why do you say such things, Aboody?"
Mbeta e shokuar. "Pse e thua nje gje te tile, 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.
Me heret ate dite, vura re disa blana ne fytyren e tij kur u kthye nga shkolla. Nuk ma tregonte se cfare kishte ndodhur. [Por tani] ishte gati te tregonte.
"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.'"
"Dy djem me gjuajten sot ne shkolle. Me thane, 'Pame mamane tende ne Facebook. Ti dhe mamaja jote duhet te futeni ne burg.'"
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.
Nuk kam patur kurre frike t'i tregoja cdo gje Aboody-t. Gjithmone kam qene nje grua krenare per arritjet e mija. Por ata sy pyetes te tim biri ishin momenti im i se vertetes, kur gjithcka u qartesua. Ja pra, jam nje grua Saudite e cila eshte futur ne burg per ngarjen e makines ne nje shtet ku grate nuk supozohet te ngasin makina. Vetem se me dha celesat e makines se tij, vellai im eshte arrestuar dy here, dhe i kane rene ne qafe deri ne ate pike sa iu desh te linte punen si gjeolog, te largohej nga shteti me gruan e tij dhe djalin dy-vjecar. Tim eti iu desh te ulej ne nje predikim te se Premtes duke degjuar hoxhen qe ndeshkonte grate shofere dhe i quante prostituta midis mijera besimtareve, disa prej tyre jane miq dhe famijlare te babait tim. U perballa me nje fushate te organizuar shpifjesh ne kanalin lokal te kombinuar me thashetheme jo te verteta te ndara ne mbledhje familjare,ne rruge dhe ne shkolla. E gjithe kjo me goditi. U be e qarte se ata femije nuk kishin qellim te tregoheshin te vrazhde me tim bir. Ishin thjesht te ndikuar nga te rriturit qe i rrethonin. Dhe nuk kishte lidhje me mua,nuk ishte nje denim per marrjen e makines dhe pershkimin e disa miljeve. Ishte nje ndeshkim per marrjen e guximit per te sfiduar rregullat e shoqerise.
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.
Por historia ime shkon pertej ketij momenti te se vertetes. Me lejoni t'ju tregoj nje permbledhje ne lidhje me historine time. Ishte Maj, 2011, dhe po i ankohesha nje kolegu te punes ne lidhje me lodhjen qe perjetoja duke u perpjekur te gjeja nje menyre per tu kthyer ne shtepi, edhe pse kam nje makine dhe nje patente nderkombetare. Me aq sa di une, grate ne Arabine Saudite jane ankuar gjithmone ne lidhje me ndalimin, por kane kaluar 20 vjet qekur dikush u perpoq te bente dicka ne lidhje me te, para nje brezi te tere.
He broke the good/bad news in my face. "But there is no law banning you from driving."
Ai e shpalli lajmin e mire/te keq ne fytyren time. "Por nuk ka asnje ligj qe te ndalon ty te ngasesh makinen."
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.
E kontrollova dhe kishte te drejte. Nuk kishte nje ligj ekzistues ne Arabine Saudite. Ishte thjesht nje zakon dhe tradita qe jane ruajtur nga opinionet e ngurta fetare dhe te ngarkuara mbi grate. Ky konklusion i vuri zjarr idese se 17 Qershorit, ku inkurajuam gra te merrnin makinen dhe ta ngisnin. Ndodhi pas disa javesh, qe filluam te merrnim keto "Burrat ujqer do te abuzojne me ju nese shkoni dhe ngisni makinen." Nje grua e guximshme, emri i se ciles eshte Najla Hariri, eshte nje grua Saudite ne qytetin e Jeddah, ngau nje makine dhe e deklaroi por nuk xhiroi nje video. Na duheshin prova.
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.
Keshtu qe une ngava .Postova nje video ne YouTube. Dhe per habine time, mori qindra mijera shikime diten e pare. Cfare ndodhi me pas, natyrisht? Fillova te merrja kercenime se do te me vrisnin, abuzonin me mua, vetem qe ta ndaloja kete fushate.
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.
Autoritetet Saudite qendruan te qete. Kjo gje na frikesoi me te vertete. Isha ne fushate me gra te tjera Saudite madje edhe me meshkuj aktiviste. Donim te dinin se si do te reagonin autoritetet ne daten 17 Qershor, kur grate do te dilnin dhe do te ngisnin makina. Keshtu qe kesaj here i kerkova vellait tim te vinte me mua dhe te ngisja makinen prane nje makine policie. Ndodhi shpejt. Na arrestuan, firmosem nje garanci se nuk do te ngisnim me dhe u liruam. U arrestuam serish, ai u dergua ne arrest per nje dite, dhe une u dergova ne burg. Nuk isha e sigurte se per cfare arsye me kishin derguar atje, sepse nuk isha perballur me ndonje akuze gjate marrjes ne pyetje. Por isha e sigurte per pafajsine time. Nuk theva ligjin, dhe mbajta abaja-n time --eshte nje mantel i zi qe veshin ne Arabine Saudite para se te dalim nga shtepia-- dhe te burgosurit e tjere vazhdonin te me thonin qe ta hiqja, por isha e sigurte per pafajsine time, vazhdoja te thoja, "Jo, do te dal sot." Jashte burgut, i gjithe shteti u be i furishem, disa duke me sulmuar keqas, dhe te tjere duke me mbeshtetur dhe madje duke mbledhur firma ne nje peticion qe do t'i dergohej mbretit per te me liruar. U lirova pas nente ditesh.
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 Qershori vjen. Rruget ishin te mbushura me makina policesh dhe makina policesh fetare, por disa qindra gra te guximshme Saudite thyen rregullin dhe ngane makinat ate dite. Asnjera nuk u arrestua. Ne thyem tabu-ne.
(Applause)
(Duartrokitje)
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.
Mendoj se deri tani, te gjithe e dine se ne nuk mund te ngasim, ose grave nuk i lejohet te ngasin, ne Arabine Saudite, por ndoshta vetem disa e dine arsyen pse. Me lejoni t'ju ndihmoj t'i pergjigjeni kesaj pyetjeje.
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.
Ishte nje studim zyrtar i cili iu prezantua Keshillit Shura-- eshte keshilli konsultativ i emeruar nga mbreti i Arabise Saudite-- dhe ishte bere nga nje profesor i zones, nje profesor universiteti. Ai pretendon se bazohet ne nje studim UNESCO. Dhe studimi shpall, perqindja e abuzimeve, tradhetive bashkeshortore, femijeve te jashteligjshem, madje edhe abuzimi me droge, prostitucioni ne shtete ku grate ngasin eshte me e larte se ne shtete ku grate nuk ngasin.
(Laughter)
(Te qeshura)
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.
E di, edhe une keshtu reagova, mbeta e shokuar. Thashe, "Ne jemi shteti i fundit ne bote ku grate nuk ngasin." Pra nese shikoni harten e botes, ngelen vetem dy shtete: Arabia Saudite dhe shoqeria tjeter eshte pjesa tjeter e botes.
We started a hashtag on Twitter mocking the study, and it made headlines around the world.
Ne postuam dicka ne Twitter qe tallte studimin, dhe u shfaq ne artikujt kryesore kudo ne bote.
[BBC News: 'End of virginity' if women drive, Saudi cleric warns]
[BBC News:'Humbje e virgjerise' nese grate ngasin makinen, paralajmeron kleriku Saudit]
(Laughter)
(Te qeshura)
And only then we realized it's so empowering to mock your oppressor. It strips it away of its strongest weapon: fear.
Dhe vetem atehere kuptuam se te tallesh me shtypesin tend te jep fuqi. Ia zhvesh armen me te fuqishme qe ka:friken.
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.
Ky sistem eshte i bazuar ne tradita dhe zakone ultra-konservatore te cilat i trajtojne grate si te jene inferiore dhe te kene nevoje per nje kujdestar qe t'i mbroje, keshtu ato duhet te marrin leje nga kujdestari i tyre, qofte verbale ose te shkruar, gjate gjithe jetes se tyre. Ne jemi te mitura deri diten qe vdesim. Dhe behet me keq kur eshte ruajtur ne opinionet fetare te bazuara ne keq-interpretime te ligjit sharia, ose ligjeve fetare. Ajo c'ka eshte me e keqja, kur regjistrohen si ligje ne sistem, dhe kur grate vete besojne ne inferioritetin e tyre, dhe madje edhe luftojne kunder atyre qe perpiqen t'i vene ne dyshim keto rregulla.
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.
Pra per mua, s'ishin vetem sulmet qe duhet te perballoja. Behej fjale per te jetuarin e dy perceptimeve te personalitetit tim, te vetes sime, krejt te ndryshme-- keqberesja ne shtetin tim, dhe heroina jashte tij.
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.
Dy histori ndodhen dy vitet e fundit. Njera prej tyre ndodhi kur isha ne burg. Jam shume e sigurte se kur isha ne burg, te gjithe pane keto tituj ne mediat nderkombetare dicka e tille gjate nente diteve qe isha ne burg.
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."
Por ne shtetin tim, isha nje figure komplet ndryshe. I perngjante me shume kesaj: "Manal al-Sharif perballet me akuza per prishjen e qetesise publike dhe nxitjen e grave per te ngare makinen."
I know.
E di.
"Manal al-Sharif withdraws from the campaign."
"Manal al-Sharif terhiqet nga fushata."
Ah, it's okay. This is my favorite.
Ah,s'ka gje. Kjo eshte e preferuara ime.
"Manal al-Sharif breaks down and confesses: 'Foreign forces incited me.'"
"Manal al-Sharif heq dore dhe rrefen: 'Forca te huaja me nxiten'"
(Laughter)
(Te qeshura)
And it goes on, even trial and flogging me in public. So it's a totally different picture.
Dhe vazhdon, madje edhe gjykim dhe fshikullim ne publik. Pra eshte nje figure komplet ndryshe.
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.
Vitin e kaluar me kerkuan te mbaja nje fjalim ne Forumin e Lirise se Oslos. Isha e rrethuar nga dashuri dhe mbeshtetje nga njerezit qe me rrethonin, dhe me shikonin si frymezim. Ne te njejten kohe, u ktheva ne shtetin tim, ata e urryen shume ate fjalim. Menyra si e quajten: nje tradheti ndaj shtetit Saudit dhe njerezve Saudite, dhe madje publikuan dicka ne Twitter qe quhej: #Tradhtarja e Oslos. Rreth 10,000 komente ishin shkruar ne ate publikim, nderkohe qe publikimi kundershtar, #Heroina e Oslos, kishte nje sasi te vogel komentesh. Madje nisen nje sondazh. Me shume se 13,000 vota iu pergjigjen ketij sondazhi: nese me konsideronin nje tradhtare apo jo pas atij fjalimi. 90 perqind thane po, eshte nje tradhtare. Pra jane keto dy perceptime komplet te ndryshme te personalitetit tim.
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)
Per sa me perket mua, jam nje grua krenare Saudite, dhe e dua shtetin tim, dhe pikerisht pse e dua shtetin tim, po e bej kete. Sepse besoj se nje shoqeri nuk do te jete e lire nese grate e asaj shoqerie nuk jane te lira. (Duartrokitje) Faleminderit. (Duartrokitje) Faleminderit, faleminderit, faleminderit, faleminderit. (Duartrokitje)
Thank you.
Faleminderit.
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.
Por ti meson mesime nga keto qe te ndodhin. Une mesova te jem gjithmone aty. Gjeja e pare, dola nga burgu, natyrisht pasi bera nje dush, hyre online, hapa Twitter-in tim dhe faqen time te Facebook-ut, dhe kam treguar gjithmone respekt ndaj atyre njerezve qe jane te hapur me mua. Do ta degjoja ate qe kane per te thene, dhe nuk do ta mbroja kurre veten vetem me fjale. Do te perdorja veprat. Kur thane se duhet te terhiqesha nga fushata, paraqita procesin e pare gjyqesor kunder drejtorise se pergjithshme te policise se trafiket per mos-leshimin e patentes per mua. Ka gjithashtu shume njerez-- mbeshtetje shume e madhe, si ato 3,000 personat te cilet firmosen peticionin per te me liruar. Derguam nje kerkese ne Keshillin Shura ne favor te heqjes se ndalimit ndaj grave Saudite, dhe kishte, rreth 3,500 qytetare qe besuan ne te dhe e firmosen kerkesen. Kishte njerez te tille, sapo ju tregova disa shembuj, qe jane te mrekullueshem, qe besojne ne te drejtat e grave ne Arabine Saudite, dhe perpiqen dhe po perballen gjithashtu me shume urrejtje sepse po u japin ze kendveshtrimeve te tyre.
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.
Arabia Saudite sot po ndermerr hapa te vegjel per rritjen e te drejtave te grave. Keshilli Shura qe eshte i emeruar nga mbreti, nga dekreti mbreteror i Mbretit Abdullah, vitin e kaluar u caktuan 30 gra ne ate Keshill, qe do te thote 20 perqind. 20 perqind e Keshillit. (Duartrokitje) Ne te njejten kohe, me ne fund, ky Keshill, pasi e refuzoi kater here kerkesen tone qe grate te ngasin, me ne fund e pranuan Shkurtin e kaluar. (Duartrokitje) Pasi u dergova ne burg apo denuar me fshikullim, apo derguar ne gjyq, zedhenesi i policise se trafikut tha, do te denojme vetem shkeljen e qarkullimit te bere nga grate shofere. Muftiu i Madh, i cili eshte kryetari i institucionit fetar ne Arabine Saudite, tha se, nuk eshte e rekomandueshme qe grate te ngasin. Ka qene e paligjshme, e ndaluar nga Muftiu i Madh.
So for me, it's not about only these small steps. It's about women themselves.
Pra per mua, nuk behet fjale vetem per keto hapat e vegjel. Behet fjale per vete grate.
A friend once asked me, she said, "So when do you think this women driving will happen?"
Nje shoqe dikur me pyeti, "Kur mendon se grate do te jene ne gjendje te ngasin?"
I told her, "Only if women stop asking 'When?' and take action to make it now."
I thashe,"Vetem nese grate ndalojne se pyeturi 'Kur?' dhe te ndermarrin veprime per ta realizuar tani."
So it's not only about the system, it's also about us women to drive our own life, I'd say.
Pra s'ka te beje vetem me sistemin, ka te beje edhe me ne grate qe te ngasim jeten tone, do te thoja.
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."
Pra nuk ia kam idene, vertete, si u bera aktiviste. Dhe se di se si u bera nje tani. Por gjithcka qe di dhe per te cilen jam e sigurte, ne te ardhmen kur dikush te me pyese per historine time do te them, "Jam krenare te jem midis atyre grave qe hoqen ndalimin, e luftuan ate dhe festuan lirine e te gjitheve."
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.
Pra pyetja me ate te se ciles nisa kete diskutim, cila mendoni se eshte me e veshtire per tu perballuar, qeveria shtypese apo shoqeria shtypese? Shpresoj se do te gjeni celesin drejt pergjigjes nga fjalimi im.
Thank you, everyone.
Faleminderit,te gjitheve.
(Applause) Thank you. (Applause) Thank you. (Applause)
(Duartrokitje) Faleminderit. (Duartrokitje) Faleminderit.(Duartrokitje)