Manal al-Sharif, born on this day in 1979, is a women's rights activist in Saudi Arabia known for co-founding and leading the #Women2Drive movement, a direct action challenge to the ban on women driving in her country. Wajeha al-Huwaider filmed al-Sharif driving a car as part of the campaign.

Al-Sharif was arrested in 2011 and detained for a week, only released on the conditions of returning for questioning if asked, not driving, and not talking to the media. The New York Times and Associated Press associated the women's driving campaign with the Arab Spring.

"Inside my mind, there was a growing sense of contradiction between what I heard in sermons and what I saw all around me."

- Manal al-Sharif