Princess: Stepping Out of the Shadows, стр. 58

sealed his fate and lost his freedom when he publicly called for the release of these detainees. At the same time, he appealed for the right to peaceful assembly. For his views, he was charged with incitement against public order and insulting the judiciary, among others. The court sentenced al-Shubaily to eight years in prison, to be followed by an eight-year travel ban. He was also banned for an additional eight years from using social media.

Then there is Essam Koshak, who was arrested and has been held without charge. His crime? He used the Twitter media site to appeal for human rights in Saudi Arabia. Most likely when he is charged and tried, he will also receive a long prison sentence.

Finally, Ahmed al-Musheikhis, a founding member of a human-rights centre in Saudi Arabia, is yet another man who was harassed, intimidated and arrested for simply helping to create a space for human rights.

Others whose names I feel compelled to mention to the world outside Saudi Arabia are Issa al-Nukheifi, Fowzan al-Harbi, Saleh al-Ashwan, Alaa Brinji, Abdulkareem al-Khodr, Sulaiman al-Rashoodi, Fadhil al-Manasif, Waleed Abu-al-Khair and Mohammed al-Qahtani. So many young people seeking justice – and of course there are many others. Regrettably, by the time you are reading this, I feel certain that many more young Saudis will be languishing in prison for nothing more than communicating their opinions on social media.

And never can I forget the young man who first caught my interest regarding the perils facing young, educated Saudis who push for the personal freedom to speak and write their opinions of the limitations Saudi citizens are experiencing. That young man is Raif Badawi.

In the fifth book about my life, Princess: Secrets to Share, his full story was told. Raif is a Saudi writer and activist, and the creator of the website Free Saudi Liberals. Raif was arrested and charged with ‘insulting Islam through electronic channels’ and was convicted and sentenced to seven years and 600 lashes in 2014. After his wife Ensaf Haidar and others broadcast the injustice against Raif, my government took revenge and increased his prison sentence to ten years. The Saudi government also increased the number of lashes he must endure to a total of 1,000. That number of lashes will kill the strongest man, and Raif Badawi is frail with health issues, suffering from diabetes. He has survived the first fifty, but his health is declining and his wife fears he will not survive the full 1,000 lashes.

My mind is in turmoil, wondering what will become of these young men. How will it end? Will their lives be an endless horror of imprisonment and torture? Will they die in prison, forgotten by all outside their immediate family? Will the world ever hear their stories and know of their pain and suffering?

How can the men I love and call my family squander the hearts and minds of the young people of Saudi Arabia? All these thinking, educated men and the women who support them should be brought into the government to join hands with our leaders so that our country will become what its people deserve: a compassionate and caring nation where all can reach their zenith.

As surely as there is Saudi sand beneath my feet, I keenly feel that the men of my family will one day recognize the error of their decisions and will most certainly regret arresting, torturing and condemning the young men and women who love their country and desire freedom and prosperity for all.

* * *

After a fitful nap I awoke with the nagging problem of publicizing my disapproving opinion regarding human-rights abuses in Saudi Arabia through the pages of a book. For sure I knew that when my husband discovered that I had publicly criticized those uncles and cousins who hold the highest positions in our Saudi government I would meet with strong resistance and there would perhaps follow a fierce argument with the man I love. But my husband knows that I find it impossible to remain silent when innocent young men and women are arrested and tried as criminals in court and then sentenced to many years of imprisonment for nothing more than attempting to participate in the social and political changes that are most certainly coming to Saudi Arabia.

It is my belief that all human beings should be allowed an opinion about all aspects of life without suffering dire punishments.

Although I did not relish the prospect of doing battle with Kareem, for I love and respect my husband, I would not allow the prospect of a spousal disagreement to close my mind and still my tongue.

Just when I was considering how I might present and win my case with Kareem, I was startled by the ringing of my telephone. I smiled with relief when the caller ID identified Dr Meena, one of my dearest friends, who is as kind, good and wise a woman as I have ever known.

I was privileged to first meet Dr Meena in 2012, when I attended a conference about education for girls in my home city of Riyadh. I immediately said yes to the invitation when I saw that the conference focused on reaching out to teenage Saudi girls, encouraging them to consider the medical field as their choice of a career. Befittingly, the conference was held at a hospital in Riyadh.

Although I have used my abilities and my wealth to help many girls and women to escape abusive relationships, over the years I have seen that education is an appropriate tool with which to battle marital abuse. Thus, I have slanted my charities to favouring educating girls, as I believe the greatest of all riches is education. No one can take a degree or the knowledge that comes with it from a woman who has earned it. A solid education is an instrument that will help to ensure independence for life. It will help to ensure that a woman’s children also become educated. Those who have children but