A Saudi woman who dared to drive | Manal al-Sharif

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevoditelj: Martina Dolenčić Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Allow me to start this talk with a question to everyone.

Dopustite mi da započnem ovaj govor s pitanjem za sve vas.

You know that all over the world,

Znate da se po cijelom svijetu,

people fight for their freedom,

ljudi bore za svoju slobodu,

fight for their rights.

bore za svoja prava.

Some battle oppressive governments.

Neki se bore proiv tiranske vlade.

Others battle oppressive societies.

Drugi se bore protiv tiranskog društva.

Which battle do you think is harder?

Koja je bitka teža, što mislite?

Allow me to try to answer this question

Dopustite mi da odgovorim na ovo pitanje

in the few coming minutes.

u nekoliko slijedećih minuta.

Let me take you back two years ago in my life.

Dopustite da vas odvedem dvije godine unazad mog života.

It was the bedtime of my son, Aboody.

Bilo je vrijeme za spavanje za mog sina Aboodya.

He was five at the time.

Imao je 5 godina.

After finishing his bedtime rituals,

Nakon završetka njegovih rituala prije spavanja,

he looked at me and he asked a question:

pogledao me i upitao:

"Mommy, are we bad people?"

"Mama, jesmo li mi zli ljudi?"

I was shocked.

Bila sam šokirana.

"Why do you say such things, Aboody?"

"Zašto govoriš takve stvari, Aboody?"

Earlier that day, I noticed some bruises

Ranije toga dana, primjetila sam modrice

on his face when he came from school.

na njegovom licu kada je došao iz škole.

He wouldn't tell me what happened.

Nije mi rekao što se dogodilo.

[But now] he was ready to tell.

(Ali sada) bio je spreman reći.

"Two boys hit me today in school.

"Dva dječaka su me danas udarila u školi.

They told me, 'We saw your mom on Facebook.

Rekli su mi, "Vidjeli smo tvoju majku na Facebooku.

You and your mom should be put in jail.'"

Ti i tvoja majka bi trebali biti u zatvoru."

I've never been afraid to tell Aboody anything.

Nikada se nisam bojala reći Aboodyu ništa.

I've been always a proud woman of my achievements.

Bila sam uvijek ponosna na svoja postignuća.

But those questioning eyes of my son

Ali te znatiželjne oči moga sina

were my moment of truth,

bila su trenutak istine,

when it all came together.

kada je sve postalo jasno.

You see, I'm a Saudi woman who had been put in jail

Vidite, ja sam Sudijka koja je bila strpana u zatvor

for driving a car in a country

zbog vožnje automobila u zemlji

where women are not supposed to drive cars.

gdje žene ne bi trebale voziti automobile.

Just for giving me his car keys,

Samo zato jer mi je dao ključeve od svog automobila,

my own brother was detained twice,

moj vlastiti brat bio je uhapšen dva puta,

and he was harassed to the point he had

i bio je maltretiran toliko da je morao

to quit his job as a geologist,

ostaviti svoj posao geologa,

leave the country with his wife and two-year-old son.

napustiti zemlju sa ženom i dvogodišnjim sinom.

My father had to sit in a Friday sermon

Moj je otac morao slušati propovijedi petkom

listening to the imam condemning women drivers

slušajući vođu kako osuđuje žene vozače

and calling them prostitutes

i nazivajući ih prostitutkama

amongst tons of worshippers,

pred gomilom obožavatelja,

some of them our friends and family of my own father.

od kojih su neki naši prijatelji i obitelj moga oca.

I was faced with an organized defamation campaign

Bila sam suočena sa oragniziranom kampanjom za kletvu

in the local media combined with false rumors

u lokalnim medijima kombiniranom s ružnim glasinama

shared in family gatherings, in the streets

prepričavanim na obiteljskim okupljanjima, na ulici

and in schools.

i u školi.

It all hit me.

To me sve pogodilo.

It came into focus that those kids

Zaključilo se da ta djeca

did not mean to be rude to my son.

nisu htjela biti bezobrazna prema mome sinu.

They were just influenced by the adults around them.

Bila su pod utjecajem odraslih.

And it wasn't about me, and it wasn't a punishment

I nije se radilo o meni, i to nije bila kazna

for taking the wheel and driving a few miles.

za uzimanje automobla i vožnje nekoliko kilometara.

It was a punishment for daring to challenge

To je bila kazna jer sam se usudila suprostaviti

the society's rules.

društvenim pravilima.

But my story goes beyond this moment of truth of mine.

Ali priča ide dalje od ovog momenta moje istine.

Allow me to give you a briefing

Dopustite mi da vam ukratko ispričam

about my story.

svoju priču.

It was May, 2011,

Bio je svibanj, 2011.,

and I was complaining to a work colleague

žalila sam se kolegama s posla

about the harassments I had to face

o neugodnostima s kojima sam se suočavala

trying to find a ride back home,

pokušavajući naći prijevoz do doma,

although I have a car and an international driver's license.

iako sam imala automobil i međunarodnu vozačku dozvolu.

As long as I've known, women in Saudi Arabia

Koliko znam, žene u Saudijskoj Arabiji

have been always complaining about the ban,

su se oduvijek žalile o zabranama,

but it's been 20 years since anyone

ali prošlo je 20 godina otkad je itko

tried to do anything about it,

pokušao učiniti nešto u vezi toga,

a whole generation ago.

cijela generacija prije.

He broke the good/bad news in my face.

Rekao mi je dobro/loše vijesti.

"But there is no law banning you from driving."

"Ali ne postoji zakon koji ti zabranjuje vožnju."

I looked it up, and he was right.

Pogledala sam i bio je u pravu.

There wasn't an actual law in Saudi Arabia.

Nije postojao pravi zakon u Saudijskoj Arabiji.

It was just a custom and traditions

To je bio samo običaj i tradicija

that are enshrined in rigid religious fatwas

sadržani u strogim religijskim mišljenjima

and imposed on women.

nametnut ženama.

That realization ignited the idea of June 17,

Ta spoznaja je potpalila ideju koja je nastala 17. lipnja,

where we encouraged women to take the wheel

gdje smo mi ohrabrile žene da sjednu u automobil

and go drive.

i voze.

It was a few weeks later, we started receiving all these

Bilo je to nekoliko tjedana kasnije kada smo zaprimile sve te

"Man wolves will rape you if you go and drive."

"Muškarci će vas silovati ako ćete voziti."

A courageous woman, her name is Najla Hariri,

Hrabra žena, koja se zove Najla Hariri,

she's a Saudi woman in the city of Jeddah,

Saudijka iz Jeddaha,

she drove a car and she announced

vozila je automobil i to obznanila

but she didn't record a video.

ali nije snimila video.

We needed proof.

Trebali smo dokaz.

So I drove. I posted a video on YouTube.

Stoga sam ja vozila. I objavila video na YouTubeu.

And to my surprise,

Na moje iznenađenje,

it got hundreds of thousands of views the first day.

imala sam više od tisuću pregleda prvi dan.

What happened next, of course?

Što se dalje dogodilo, naravno?

I started receiving threats

Počela sam zaprimati prijetnje

to be killed, raped, just to stop this campaign.

da ću biti ubijena, samo kako bih prestala s tom kampanjom.

The Saudi authorities remained very quiet.

Saudijska vlast bila je vrlo mirna.

That really creeped us out.

To nas je zaista zgrozilo.

I was in the campaign with other Saudi women

Bila sam u kampanji sa ostalim Saudijkama

and even men activists.

ali i muškim aktivistima.

We wanted to know how the authorities

Željeli smo znati kako će vlasti

would respond on the actual day, June 17,

odgovoriti na taj dan, 17. lipanj,

when women go out and drive.

kada će žene izaći i voziti.

So this time I asked my brother

Ovoga sam puta upitala brata

to come with me and drive by a police car.

da ide sa mnom i vozi pored policijskog automobila.

It went fast. We were arrested,

Brzo se odvijalo. Bili smo uhićeni,

signed a pledge not to drive again, released.

potpisali smo da nećemo više voziti, pušteni.

Arrested again, he was sent to detention for one day,

Uhićen ponovo, bio je zadržan jedan dan,

and I was sent to jail.

a ja poslana u zatvor.

I wasn't sure why I was sent there,

Nisam bla sigurna zašto sam poslana tamo,

because I didn't face any charges in the interrogation.

jer nisam bila suočena s nikakvim optužbama na ispitivanju.

But what I was sure of was my innocence.

Ali ono što sam bila sigurna je bila moja nevisnost.

I didn't break a law, and I kept my abaya

Nisam prekršila zakon, zadržala sam svoju odjeću

— it's a black cloak we wear in Saudi Arabia before we leave the house —

- crni ogrtač koji oblačimo u Saudijskoj Arabiji prije izlaska iz kuće-

and my fellow prisoners kept asking me to take it off,

i ljudi koji su bili sa mnom u zatvoru su nastavljali govoriti mi da to skinem sa sebe

but I was so sure of my innocence, I kept saying,

ali bila sam sigurna u svoju nevinost, nastavila sam govoriti,

"No, I'm leaving today."

"Ne, danas odlazim."

Outside the jail, the whole country went into a frenzy,

Izvan zatvora, cijela zemlja je bila bijesna,

some attacking me badly,

neki napadajući me,

and others supportive and even collecting signatures

drugi podržavajući i skupljajući potpise

in a petition to be sent to the king to release me.

za peticiju za kralja da me oslobodi.

I was released after nine days.

Bila sam puštena devet dana kasnije.

June 17 comes.

17. lipanj e došao.

The streets were packed with police cars

Ulice su bile prepune policijskih automobila

and religious police cars,

i vjerskih policijskih automobila,

but some hundred brave Saudi women

ali oko stotine hrabrih Saudijka

broke the ban and drove that day.

prekršile su zabranu i vozile toga dana.

None were arrested. We broke the taboo.

Nitko nije bio uhićen. Razbile smo tabu.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

So I think by now, everyone knows that we can't drive,

Mislim da od sada, svi znaju da ne možemo voziti,

or women are not allowed to drive, in Saudi Arabia,

ili da ženama nije dozvoljeno voziti, u Saudijskoj Arabiji,

but maybe few know why.

ali samo nekoliko zna zašto.

Allow me to help you answer this question.

Dopustite mi da vam pomognem odgovoriti na ovo pitanje.

There was this official study

Postoji službena studija

that was presented to the Shura Council --

koja je bila predstavljena na Shura vijeću --

it's the consultative council appointed

to je savjetodavno vijeće postavljeno

by the king in Saudi Arabia —

od kralja Saudijske Arabije --

and it was done by a local professor,

koje je napravio lokalni profesor,

a university professor.

sveučilišni profesor.

He claims it's done based on a UNESCO study.

Tvrdi da je učinjeno na temelju UNESCO-ve studije.

And the study states,

A studija navodi,

the percentage of rape, adultery,

postotak silovanja, preljuba,

illegitimate children, even drug abuse,

izvanbračne djece, čak i zlouporabe droga,

prostitution in countries where women drive

prostitucija u zemljama gdje žene voze

is higher than countries where women don't drive.

je veći nego u zemljama gdje žene ne voze.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

I know, I was like this, I was shocked.

Znam, i ja sam tako mislila, bila sam šokirana.

I was like, "We are the last country in the world

Mislila sam, "Mi smo jedina zemlja u svijetu

where women don't drive."

gdje žene ne voze."

So if you look at the map of the world,

Ako pogledate kartu svijeta,

that only leaves two countries:

samo su dvije zemlje:

Saudi Arabia, and the other society is the rest of the world.

Saudijska Arabija, i ostalo društvo je ostatak svijeta.

We started a hashtag on Twitter mocking the study,

Pokrenuli smo hashtag na Twitteru ismijavajući studiju

and it made headlines around the world.

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

Tada smo tek shvatili da je to osnaživanje

to mock your oppressor.

kako bi ismijao svog mučitelja.

It strips it away of its strongest weapon: fear.

To uklanja najjače oružje: strah.

This system is based on ultra-conservative

Ovaj se sistem bazira na ultra-konzervativnim

traditions and customs

tradicijama i običajima

that deal with women as if they are inferior

koji se odnose na žene kao da su inferiorne

and they need a guardian to protect them,

i trebaju čuvara da ih zaštiti,

so they need to take permission from this guardian,

pa moraju dobiti dopuštenje od čuvara,

whether verbal or written, all their lives.

bilo verbalno ili pisano, cijeli svoj život.

We are minors until the day we die.

Mi smo maloljetnici sve do dana kada umremo.

And it becomes worse when it's enshrined in religious fatwas

I postaje gore kada je to zapisano u religijskim zapisima

based on wrong interpretation of the sharia law,

temeljeno na krivim interpretacijama šerijatskog zakona,

or the religious laws.

ili religijskih zakona.

What's worst, when they become codified

Što je najgore, kada postanu definirana

as laws in the system,

kao zakoni u sistemu,

and when women themselves believe in their inferiority,

kada žene same vjeruju u svoju inferiornost,

and they even fight those who try

čak se i bore protiv onih koji

to question these rules.

preispituju takva pravila.

So for me, it wasn't only about these attacks I had to face.

Za mene, nije se radilo samo o napadima s kojima sam se morala suočiti.

It was about living two totally different

Radilo se o životu dvije potpuno različite

perceptions of my personality, of my person --

percepcije moje osobnosti, mene kao osobe --

the villain back in my home country,

negativac u mojoj rodnoj zemlji,

and the hero outside.

a junak vani.

Just to tell you, two stories happened in the last two years.

Samo da znate, dvije su se priče dogodile u zadnje dvije godine.

One of them is when I was in jail.

Jedna od njih je da sam bila u zatvoru.

I'm pretty sure when I was in jail,

Gotovo sam sigurna da su svi vidjeli

everyone saw titles in the international media

naslove u međunarodnim medijima kada sam bila u zatvoru

something like this during these nine days I was in jail.

poput ovih tijekom devet dana dok sam bila u zatvoru.

But in my home country, it was a totally different picture.

Ali u mojoj rodnoj zemlji, bila je potpuno drukčija slika.

It was more like this:

Više poput ovoga:

"Manal al-Sharif faces charges of disturbing public order

"Manal al-Sharif suočava se s optužbama remećenja javnog reda i mira

and inciting women to drive."

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:

"Manal al-Sharif se slama i priznaje:

'Foreign forces incited me.'"

'Inozemne snage su me potaknule'."

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

And it goes on, even trial and flogging me in public.

To se nastavlja, pa čak i javno suđenje i šibanje.

So it's a totally different picture.

To je potpuno drugačija slika.

I was asked last year to give a speech

Pitali su me prošle godine da održim govor

at the Oslo Freedom Forum.

na Forumu slobode u Oslu.

I was surrounded by this love

Bila sam okružena ljubavlju

and the support of people around me,

i podrškom ljudi oko mene,

and they looked at me as an inspiration.

i gledali su me kao inspiraciju.

At the same time, I flew back to my home country,

U isto vrijeme, odletjela sam natrag u svoju zemlju,

they hated that speech so much.

oni su mrzili taj govor.

The way they called it: a betrayal to the Saudi country

Nazvali su ga: izdaja Saudijske zemlje

and the Saudi people,

i Saudijaca,

and they even started a hashtag called #OsloTraitor on Twitter.

i čak su napravili pokrenuli hashtag na Twitteru #OsloIzdajnik(#OsloTraitor).

Some 10,000 tweets were written in that hashtag,

Oko 10 000 tweetova je napisano s tim hashtagom,

while the opposite hashtag, #OsloHero,

dok je suprotni hashtag na Twitteru glasio #OsloJunak(#OsloHero),

there was like a handful of tweets written.

bila je šačica tweetovai.

They even started a poll.

Čak su započeli anketiranje.

More than 13,000 voters answered this poll:

Više od 13 000 glasača odgovorilo je na anketu:

whether they considered me a traitor or not after that speech.

da li me smatraju izdajicom ili ne nakon govora.

Ninety percent said yes, she's a traitor.

90% je reklo da, ona je izdajica.

So it's these two totally different perceptions

Tako da su to dvije potpuno različite percepcije

of my personality.

moje osobnosti.

For me, I'm a proud Saudi woman,

Za mene, ja sam ponosna Sudijka,

and I do love my country,

volim svoju zemlju,

and because I love my country, I'm doing this.

i zato što je volim činim ovo.

Because I believe a society will not be free

Zbog toga što mislim da društvo neće biti slobodno

if the women of that society are not free.

ako žene toga društva nisu slobodne.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Hvala, hvala, hvala, hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Thank you.

Hvala.

But you learn lessons from these things that happen to you.

Ali učite lekciju iz stvari koje se dešavaju vama.

I learned to be always there.

Ja sam naučila biti uvijek tamo.

The first thing, I got out of jail,

Prva stvar, izašla sam iz zatvora,

of course after I took a shower, I went online,

naravno nakon što sam se otuširala, otišla sam na internet,

I opened my Twitter account and my Facebook page,

otvorila svoj Twitter račun i Facebook stranicu,

and I've been always very respectful

i uvijek sam bila vrlo obzirna

to those people who are opining to me.

prema ljudima koji su izražavali svoje mišljenje prema meni.

I would listen to what they say,

Slušala bih što govore,

and I would never defend myself with words only.

i nikada ne bih sebe branila samo riječima.

I would use actions. When they said I should withdraw from the campaign,

Koristila bih djela. Kada su rekli da se trebam povući iz kampanje,

I filed the first lawsuit against the general directorate

podnijela sam prvu tužbu protiv ravnateljstva

of traffic police for not issuing me a driver's license.

prometne policije jer mi nisu izdali vozačku dozvolu.

There are a lot of people also --

Također je mnogo ljudi --

very big support, like those 3,000 people

koji su velika podrška, oko 3 000 ljudi

who signed the petition to release me.

koji su potpisali peticiju da me oslobode.

We sent a petition to the Shura Council

Poslali smo peticiju Vijeću Shura

in favor of lifting the ban on Saudi women,

u prilog ukidanja zabrane Saudijkama,

and there were, like, 3,500 citizens who believed in that

i oko 3 500 građana vjerovalo je u to

and they signed that petition.

i potpisalo je peticiju.

There were people like that, I just showed some examples,

Bilo je takvih ljudi, samo sam pokazala neke primjere

who are amazing, who are believing in women's rights in Saudi Arabia,

koji su nevjerojatni, koji vjeruju u ženska prava u Saudijskoj Arabiji,

and trying, and they are also facing a lot of hate

i koji pokušavaju, oni se susreću s puno mržnje

because of speaking up and voicing their views.

zbog govora i izražavanja svojih pogleda.

Saudi Arabia today is taking small steps

Danas Saudijska Arabija poduzima male korake

toward enhancing women's rights.

prema poboljšanju ženskih prava.

The Shura Council that's appointed by the king,

Vijeće Shura koje je imenovano od strane kralja,

by royal decree of King Abdullah,

kraljvskom odlukom kralja Abdullaha,

last year there were 30 women assigned to that Council,

prošle godine preko 30 žena dodijeljeno je Vijeću,

like 20 percent.

oko 20%.

20 percent of the Council. (Applause)

20 posto Vijeća. (Pljesak)

The same time, finally, that Council,

U isto vrijeme, napokon, to Vijeće,

after rejecting our petition four times for women driving,

nakon odbacivanja naše peticije da žene voze četiri puta,

they finally accepted it last February.

napokon su to prihvatili prošle veljače.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

After being sent to jail

Nakon slanja u zatvor

or sentenced lashing, or sent to a trial,

ili bičevanja, ili slanja na sud,

the spokesperson of the traffic police said,

glasnogovornik prometne policije je rekao,

we will only issue traffic violation for women drivers.

samo ćemo izdati prometni prekršaj za žene koje voze.

The Grand Mufti, who is the head

The Grand Mufti, koji je glavni

of the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia,

za religijska utemeljenja u Saudijskoj Arabiji,

he said, it's not recommended for women to drive.

rekao je, da nije preporučljivo da žene voze.

It used to be haram, forbidden, by the previous Grand Mufti.

Prije je postojala zabrana, prethodnog Grand Muftija.

So for me, it's not about only these small steps.

Za mene, ne radi se samo o malim koracima.

It's about women themselves.

radi se o samim ženama.

A friend once asked me, she said,

Jednom me prijateljica pitala,

"So when do you think this women driving will happen?"

"Kada misliš da će se dogoditi to da žene voze?"

I told her, "Only if women stop asking 'When?'

Rekla sam joj, "Samo kada žene prestanu ispitivati 'Kada?'

and take action to make it now."

i započnu akciju da to naprave sada."

So it's not only about the system,

Dakle, ne radi se samo o sistemu,

it's also about us women to drive our own life, I'd say.

radi se i nama ženama, rekla sam.

So I have no clue, really, how I became an activist.

Ne znam, zaista, kako sam postala aktivist.

And I don't know how I became one now.

Ne znam kako sam postala jedan od njih.

But all I know, and all I'm sure of, in the future

Ali ono što znam, i što sam sigurna, u budućnosti

when someone asks me my story,

kada me netko pita za moju priču,

I will say, "I'm proud

reći ću, "Ponosna sam

to be amongst those women who lifted the ban,

što sam među ovim ženama koje su uklonile zabranu,

fought the ban, and celebrated everyone's freedom."

borile se, i slavile slobodu svih."

So the question I started my talk with,

Pitanje s kojim sam započela govor,

who do you think is more difficult to face,

što mislite, s čime se teže suočiti,

oppressive governments or oppressive societies?

tiranskom vladom ili tiranskim društvom?

I hope you find clues to answer that from my speech.

Nadam se da ćete naći indicije za odgovor iz moga govora.

Thank you, everyone.

Hvala vam, svima.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Thank you.

Hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Thank you. (Applause)

Hvala. (Pljesak)