Discussion on Women's Rights and Choices

17 seconds

That's how long it took an ordinary woman like me to put on the niqab.

It doesn't take anything more than that.

I think 17 seconds is more than enough time to show how long a woman needs to be convinced

and put on the niqab.

We're done. We've finished that part.

When the issue of driving in Saudi Arabia began, there was fierce opposition.

It was going to happen, whether people liked it or not.

All citizens' rights had to happen, everyone had to enjoy the same rights.

The choice remains yours. If you want to drive, go ahead. If you don't want to drive,

that's fine. No one will force you to drive. On the contrary,

the licensing schools were crowded.

But there was a certain group of people who had

privileges among women and felt, no, why should all women

be comfortable? Let me attack them. Let me stand with those

opposing the state's laws and normal life.

So they were egging men on. Any woman we see driving in the street, we'll do something

to her, we'll act, beat her, assault her. They were egging them on.

for them. Then it was imposed on everyone, and this

is

natural.

The change is imposed on everyone,

whether you accept it or not.

After this happened, the same girls who had been opposed

said: "Honestly, driving turned out to be so much fun,

girls. It's nice not to be dependent on a driver."

On the other hand, the small group of backward men

whose minds are being manipulated, who listen to your incitement

and that of others,

you are all complicit in these crimes. They actually began assaulting people

at first. We'll mention just one example: Salma, may God forgive

and have mercy on her, an older woman who supported her brothers and

her family and carried them. She got herself a car, then her

teenage brother, whom she raised and supported, ended her life.

So this isn't just a two-day fuss or being upset for two days,

and then everyone accepts it. It's not that no one is being harmed.

You are all complicit. Every woman who encouraged violence or

said, "We'll do this or that," you are all complicit in blood.

Salma, may God forgive her, is exactly what we don't want to happen again.

What we demand is that a girl's opinion be respected,

if she says she wants to wear a niqab.

No one should deny her an education or work, or keep her at home or let it go

so far that she might take her own life,

like Hadeel, may God forgive her and have mercy on her, and many other girls like Qamar, may God

forgive her and have mercy on her. These are all examples we saw on social media, unlike those

we haven't seen. What we demand is, if a girl says she doesn't want to

wear a niqab, she wants to wear hijab or a mask, let her, don't

You're only hurting her.

The other thing isn't important.

Life moves faster now, and change is happening is happening.

As for parents, have faith in your upbringing and in your daughters, let

them have faith in the seed of goodness that you planted

in them. Trust your upbringing, let them choose.

Instead of her showing only her eyes, nose, and mouth, that's all.

Sit with your daughters and ask them, “Are you really comfortable with choosing to wear the niqab?”

Does the choice of this face covering make your life easier, make

your job prospects easier, give you

more room in life? Set your conditions with them, sit and tal—

Discuss it, discuss it with your daughters.

No, don't go down the path of oppression. Change is happening, no matter what.

The only difference is that it happens with your consent

within your families and through understanding, instead of by force, because it will happen.

It will happen in the end.

And one thing for any girl: try to piggyback on

causes where there really are

girls losing their lives, losing many years of

their lives.

Their lives are being stolen from them.

Since 2017, I've had my accounts canceled on Twitter, so from my

first accounts, every time I cancel an account and come back,

since 2021, I've started appearing with my face and real name on social

media, and— I've also been canceled over things like this, so as for the issue

of

canceling,

it didn't happen in one day. I've gone through more forms of

oppression than you could ever imagine in your lives, and I survived them.

By myself. That's why, when I talk about suff— all this suffering, I no longer go through it now.

I got over it long ago, but that doesn't mean that I've gotten over it

and gained the privilege to deny and dismiss that there are girls

who are still stuck in those stages and may need

greater change to help them.

Any woman, if you're not going to say something good, I wish you'd

shut your mouth completely and not speak.

Girls' suffering isn't something to exploit to get more views.

Girls' suffering isn't something to use as a stepping stone. Use

anything else, use makeup, use trivial

and superficial things. No one will say anything, okay? If that's the only thing

that can make people hear your voice or know who you are.

Advice to every woman trying to benefit,

whether she's inciting men or going out and wants to get her business going,

تمشي شغلها،

wants to sell niqabs to girls and tells them, “No, you have to wear niqab,” while she herself is neither

veiled nor is her family.

Fear the curse. A curse is awful, what goes around comes around.

What goes around comes around. Look around us, everywhere in the world,

no matter how much a person takes precautions

and stays far from anything that could hurt them, what goes around comes around.

The curse of all those girls praying against you is awful.

Fear for yourself if you don't care about girls or anyone

in the world, and all you care about is views. Fear for yourself because of the curse,

because a curse never misses. Any woman planning to act superior

and attack helpless women,

God knows what their lives

are like now, fear the curse. Either say something kind or

shut your mouth completely. No one wants to hear your voice, no one

misses it.

The issue is now between the girls and their families. We

only hope there is a system to protect these girls.

Families, look how far this has gone. It's shameful

that you are not—by Almighty God, I truly mean it, it's shameful

that you are not your daughters' safe haven.

You are your daughters' main source of safety. Don't make your daughters

have to write on social media and look for a system that protects them from you.

Be their safety. Don't put society before your daughters,

at the expense of your daughters and your relationship. This is the family that will remain with you at the end of the day,

not society. Society won't applaud you in every situation.

Sit with your daughters, support them, find out what they want. If she wants to remove her niqab, let her remove

the niqab. Let her wear a mask, let her wear hijab. Reach an understanding, talk, and understand the reasons.

Support your daughters instead of letting your daughters

turn to anyone else but you.

Accept them as they are, support your daughters, be their safety. Don't

let a girl look for safety outside the home.

That's all.