Hessah Al Sheikh
Hessah Al Sheikh (Arabic: حصة آلالشيخ) is a Saudi Arabian writer, professor, and activist. In 2015, Arabian Business magazine named her one of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women.[1]
In May 2018, she was arrested with 10 other women's rights activists, ahead of the legalization of women driving. She was released on May 24.[2][3] More than 30 international human rights groups signed a petition for their release.[4]
She took part in the Women to Drive Movement (Arabic: قيادة المرأة في السعودية qiyāda al-imarʾa fī as-Suʿūdiyya), a campaign by Saudi women, so that women might get the right to drive motor vehicles on public roads
Life[edit]
Dr. Hessah al-Sheikh is from the Al Sheikh family. They are descendants of Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul-Wahhab who started the Wahhabi form of Sunni Islam.[5]
She has a bachelor's degree in Education and Arabic Language from Riyadh College of Education, and a PhD in Educational Management from King Saud University. She studied Sustainability and Responsibility at the Ashridge Centre for Action Research in the U.K.[6]
Work[edit]
Hessah AlSheikh participated in the original 1990 demonstration for the right to drive.[7] The 47 women were arrested, and lost their passports and their jobs.[4][8]
She is a professor at King Saud University.[5] She was also dean of the Women’s College at Al Yamamah University in Riyadh.[1]
She volunteers with Saudi charities for women and children.[5] She is chair of the Down Syndrome Charity Association and a Founding Board Member of the National Family Safety Programme in Saudi Arabia.[6] She is a founding partner of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. a non-profit company for women's projects in the Middle East and north Africa.[1][9]
She is described as a liberal writer who has always praised the decisions of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as a reformer.[10] In 2015 she was the target of a controversy because of an article she wrote about women's issues for the newspaper "Riyadh". The newspaper was forced to delete the article from its archives, and the issue was referred to interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef for investigation.[11] The article was about the rights of widows and criticized a fatwa of the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh.[12]
Selected writings[edit]
- Monera Al Nahedh and Hessah Al Sheikh, "A Voice Unsilenced: Saudi women advocating their rights, 1990-2017", Center for Women's Global Leadership. [13]
- Co-author of a book on the 1990 demonstration for the right to drive, 2013. Aisha Mohammed Al-Manea, Hessah Al-Sheikh, السادس من نوفمبر .. المرأة وقيادة السيارة 1990 م . (English: 6th of November .. Women and driving the car 1990) ISBN 9786144181706 Search this book on
. [7][14][15]
- Gill Coleman, Hessah Al Sheikh, and Kelly Lavelle, "Giving voice to women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia", Hertfordshire Ashridge Business School, 2013. [16][17]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Arab.Women100.2016-31.Hessah Al Sheikh".
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia arrests 10 for their work promoting women's rights". 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "Saudi authorities release three women's rights activists". www.aljazeera.com.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/crackdown-saudi-women-human-rights-defenders-sets-alarms
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "A closer look at 10 arrested Saudi women's rights activists". 22 May 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.ellesolaire.org/our-donators/hessah-alsheikh/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Saudi Arabia's Driven Women".
- ↑ Times, Youssef M. Ibrahim and Special To the New York. "MIDEAST TENSIONS; Saudi Women Take Driver's Seat in a Rare Protest for the Right to Travel".
- ↑ "Giving voice to women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia - Business Intelligence Middle East - bi-me.com - News, analysis, reports". www.bi-me.com.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "الخيانة.. آخر فصول التهم لنشطاء السعودية".
- ↑ "أسماء جديدة ضمن قائمة النساء المعتقلات في السعودية". 22 May 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
- ↑ "اعتقال 'حصة آل الشيخ'.. الوجه الحقيقي للوهابية والتنكيل بالمخالف في الرأي".
- ↑ "Wayback Machine". 27 March 2018.
- ↑ "السادس من نوفمبر .. المرأة وقيادة السيارة 1990 م". www.goodreads.com.
- ↑ "Nwf.com: السادس من نوفمبر - المرأة وقيادة السيارة: عائشة محمد الما: كتب".
- ↑ "Saudi Women under-represented in the Entrepreneurial Sector - Arabian Gazette". 15 April 2013.
- ↑ Lavelle, Kelly; Sheikh, author.), Hessah A; Coleman, editor.), Gill; (publisher.), Ashridge Business School; Initiative, Women's Entrepreneurship (6 November 2018). "Giving voice to women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia". Berkhampsted, Hertfordshire Ashridge Business School – via Trove.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
Other websites[edit]
- Twitter: حصة آل الشيخ@Hessahalsheikh
This article "Hessah Al Sheikh" is from Simple English Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Hessah Al Sheikh.
