Eman al-Nafjan

Saudi Arabian blogger and women's rights advocate who pioneered the fight for female driving rights in Saudi Arabia

Eman al-Nafjan (b. 1974) is a pioneering Saudi blogger and human rights activist who became an international symbol for women's rights in the kingdom. Operating her influential blog since 2005, she openly challenged restrictive policies like the ban on women driving. Her 2011 'Women2Drive' campaign organized daring public protests that gained global attention, eventually leading to the driving ban's repeal in 2018.

Al-Nafjan's advocacy extended to educational access - she created online courses to teach women computer skills when formal education was limited. Her work with Saudi Women's Economic Empowerment Forum helped secure corporate sponsorships for female entrepreneurs. Despite government crackdowns on dissent, she continued writing about issues like guardianship laws through encrypted channels.

In 2013 she launched the Saudi Girls Club, a digital platform connecting 15,000+ young women to mentorship and career opportunities. Her documentary on women's political participation inspired 200+ female candidates in Saudi's 2015 municipal elections. Al-Nafjan's writings appear in The Guardian and Foreign Policy, and she advises UN Women on Middle Eastern gender policies. Her memoir My Life as a Saudi Blogger provides rare insights into grassroots activism in restrictive societies.