Rebel
My escape from Saudi Arabia to freedom
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In January 2019, then 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed escaped from her family while holidaying in Kuwait.
She was fleeing systematic abuse of her human rights as a woman growing up in Saudi Arabia and, specifically, her family's threats to kill her because she desired the freedoms Western women take for granted.
She boarded a plane bound for Bangkok, en route to Australia where she intended to seek asylum. But on her arrival the Thai authorities, acting on the instructions of Saudi officials, detained Rahaf with the aim of returning her to her family. Knowing this would mean her death, Rahaf barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and appealed for help through social media, creating a Twitter storm and capturing the attention of government leaders, human rights advocates and media around the world.
Rahaf was eventually taken under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and granted refugee status. When Australian authorities failed to respond with the urgency the situation required, she was granted asylum in Canada. Seven days after her ordeal began, she arrived in Toronto to begin a new life.
Rebel is a passionate story by a woman who refused to allow a system to define who she was and what she could be. It shines a light on the rampant and dangerous inequalities that persist in Saudi society, and inspires women everywhere to dream of a better future for themselves, and their daughters.
Praise for Rebel:
'Rebel makes it clear that the cultural honour/shame dynamic and the male guardianship system continue to weigh heavily on the daily lives of Saudi women ... Rahaf ultimately fled the Kingdom, under cover of darkness by the skin of her teeth, in order to spread her wings.' - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Infidel
'The astonishing story of how one incredibly courageous teenager took on Saudi Arabia's archaic male guardianship system and won! An inspiring read that will leave you shaking with fury, and then cheering in solidarity.' - Sophie McNeill, Human Rights Watch
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mohammed, who garnered international headlines as a teenager in 2019 when she fled Saudi Arabia and was detained by authorities in Thailand, recounts her daring path to liberation in this potent debut. The daughter of a politically powerful Sunni family, she explains that she knew from the time she was young that Saudi women were to be little more than "bodies shrouded in black bags." In harrowing depictions, Mohammed details how, as she grew, so too did the prohibitions and violent punishments; one particularly disturbing passage recounts her being repeatedly punched by her mother after being outed by a classmate for having relationships with girls. Despite this, Mohammed sought subversion, first through a "secret world" of parties where older men—including members of the religious police—plied minors with drugs, and, later, in the online underground network of Saudi women runaways who eventually helped her plan her escape to Canada through a labyrinth of "secret codes." While her death-defying act will leave readers breathless, it's Mohammed's bold unmasking of the "contradictions" of her homeland—where "tolerance and moderation" is preached, yet "anyone who doesn't agree with the government" is "behead and tortur"—that leaves an indelible mark. Her scorching indictment serves as a beacon for women worldwide yearning for freedom.
