Raif Badawi: The Voice of Freedom: My Husband, Our Story

by Ensaf Haidar

A powerful first-person account of Ensaf Haidar’s life wither her husband, Saudi Arabian social activist Raif Badawi, and her worldwide campaign to free him from imprisonment
 
Ensaf Haidar's unforgettable account of her marriage to imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi tells the story of the survival of their love against all odds, and of her courageous fight for her husband’s freedom.

When Ensaf and Raif married in 2002 they shed tears of joy; they had overcome the resistance of her family and the rigid conventions of Saudi Arabian culture, and their battle to be together was finally won. But an even greater challenge lay ahead.
After the romance of their clandestine courtship, the triumph of their wedding day, and the ups and downs of married life, Ensaf discovers that Raif is becoming active in the liberal movement. Their partnership grows stronger as Raif works tirelessly, daring to question the social order of Saudi Arabia — until his activities attract the attention of the religious police. With Raif under increasing surveillance, Ensaf reluctantly accepts exile as the only way to protect their three young children, hoping that Raif will soon join them.

But Raif's arrest and subsequent sentence — to ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes — change everything. Ensaf must take up the fight for her husband’s life, galvanizing global support and campaigning for his freedom — and their right to be reunited as a family again.

This profoundly moving memoir is both a love story and an inspiring account of the making of not one but two heroic human rights activists.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Memoir, Religion, Middle East

247 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2015

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction books. Not because I don’t like them, but just because I don’t find a lot of them that sound interesting to me. For example, I have the memoir of Hilary Clinton, but it just bored me after a view chapters and I quit reading it. But when I heard about this book about Raif Badawi, written by his wife Ensaf, I decided I definitely needed to read this book.

I’m writing this review almost twenty four hours after I finished reading ‘Raif Badawi: The Voice of Freedom’ and I find it difficult to write my thoughts about this book down. Reading this book makes it obviously clear how good we have it here in the Western world. In the beginning of this book we get to read how life is for a young woman in Saudi Arabia, and let me tell you it’s horrific. Woman are not allowed to come outside without being completely covered, they aren’t allowed to drive a car and they can’t work. I was completely in shock when I read this.

But that’s not the only shocking thing about this read. Ensaf and Raif had to overcome a lot of obstacles to just be together. And when they were finally happy and living their life with their children, the trouble really began. Raif started a website on which he just expressed his opinion. Soon there lives changed drastically because Raif wasn’t allowed to share his opinion about Saudi Arabia online. Life wasn’t safe anymore for Raif, Ensaf and their children and they had to flee the country. Raif couldn’t come with them because he wasn’t allowed to leave the country anymore. And in 2012 Raif was arrested on a charge of insulting Islam through electronic channels. He is sentenced to 1000 lashes and ten years in prison. Ensaf got asylum in Canada and has been fighting for Raif’s freedom ever since.

The most shocking thing for me is the fact that Raif still remains in prison. On YouTube you can find video’s on which you can see he is receiving lashes just because he told the world what he thought. It’s the modern world and we are living our lives while an innocent man is being tortured. And the worst thing is, there are probably many more people like Raif out there. I realise more than ever how lucky I am to be living in the Netherlands. I got the education I wanted, I life the live I want and most times I do whatever I want without thinking about it. This book really shook me!

From the moment I started reading this book I was hooked to every page. The story about how Raif and Ensaf met was just so romantic and I was in complete awe reading about their dedication and patience towards getting married. They really deserve to be together again.
The writing in this book was also really good. It was easy to follow and it made me keep on reading even though it became hard to read at times.

This book definitely needs to be read. And I definitely will try to do my part in helping Raid Badawi by sharing posts on social media etc.

[Nemeti Ramona Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi-a placut atat de mult! O carte plina de emotii, iubire, curaj, prietenie, devotament, indarjire, dedicare, perseverenta.
Multa putere Ensaf! Esentele tari de tin in sticlute mici ❤️

[Denisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

excelent scrisă, fascinantă, emoționantă, este ca și cum ai vedea un documentar foarte bine lucrat

[Nuzaifa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm also currently running an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY on Twitter now - Come enter to win a paperback of this extraordinary book!

THE REVIEW

Ensaf Haidar's Raif Badawi, The Voice of Freedom: My Husband, Our Story is the kind of book that sticks with you. Having finished it in more or less one sitting, I couldn't stop thinking about it for a long time. Days after having turned the final page of this powerful non-fiction piece, I was scouring the web for Badawi's work, Haidar's interviews and updates on the trial.

I was obsessed.

What started out as an endearing love story of Ensaf Haidar's and Raif Badawi's secret courtship soon takes an unexpected turn. This candid first person account tells the story of one man's struggle to fight back against systematic injustice within his own society. Religion and faith are often exploited by political leaders to drive their own agendas. Raif echoes these very sentiments on his blog when he calls for a separation between religion and state. Free Saudi Liberals, Badawi's blog and an open forum of sorts raises important questions about the existing justice system and encourages citizens to speak of reform. This soon draws the attention of Saudi public officials who threatened and harassed Badawi to shut down his site. Raif's own father expressed his disapproval of his son's liberal nature and his online activism. This was used by other more powerful individuals with ulterior political, social as well as religious motives. Ensaf speculates that individuals who wished to silence liberals funded Raif's father for the videos. After being at the receiving end of multiple threats to their safety , Badawi and his family attempt to leave the country but Badawi is forcibly detained by the officials.

Haidar and her three kids flee to Egypt, then Lebanon, then Canada where they gained political asylum. In 2013 Raif Badawi was sentenced to 7 years in prison and 600 lashes for multiple charges including insulting Islam and apostasy. But soon after his sentence was increased to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison - 50 of which has been already administered (the video of which can be found on YouTube. Fair warning - the graphic content may be a trigger for most people). Badawi’s friend, brother-in-law and lawyer, Waleed Abulkhair, is also now in prison, his crime defending Badawi against the charge of apostasy.

This is not just Raif's story, it is also the story of a lone woman's remarkable courage. Ensaf Haidar was brought up as a sheltered young woman who despite getting an university education was not expected to have any ambitions let alone aspire towards a career. But circumstances force her to leave the land that she thought of as her home her entire life. As a foreign woman in a foreign land, Haidar has come so far despite her upbringing, the lack of support from her family, her limited capabilities and the language barriers that she had to face. In her interviews, she comes across as a petite and soft spoken young woman but she is a force to be reckoned with. Even prior to Raif's imprisonment, Haidar's intelligence and bravery shines through when she speaks of the hurdles that she had to overcome in their married life. When Haidar first stumbles across Badawi's blog she finds it difficult to reconcile the husband she knows with the man who runs the blog. She states that despite Badawi's calls for a re-look at the gender roles in Saudi, he practiced the very same thing he preached against. So she challenges her husband to practice what he preaches by confronting his own prejudices first. Haidar soon gets involved in Badawi's activism work and she even publishes her own piece in a local publication, Al Hayat. The sheer honesty and candidness of Haidar's story shines through when she describes the hurdles that she had to overcome during her marriage. I am truly inspired by this woman and her love for the man who's currently being punished for the crime of speaking his mind.

There's so much controversy surrounding Islam and freedom of speech, most of which are due to wrongfully perpetuated myths and biased media reporting. The Quran and Hadith are crystal clear in it's support for freedom of religion and freedom of expression.Accordingly as a Muslim, I believe that one should live and let live.

Reading some of Raif Badawi's writings, I've been struck by how simple and completely non-violent his requests for reform are. As a blogger, this book made me step back and acknowledge my own privilege. While I believe that absolute freedom of speech is a myth, I can't deny the privilege that comes with living in a democracy where freedom of speech is guaranteed by the country's constitution (whether it is actually actioned is a whole other story thanks to Sri Lanka's long history of widespread suppression and censorship, especially of those who are critical of the local government). This is why it's important for those of us who enjoy the right to freedom of speech to speak up against the injustice faced by Raif Badawi and countless other victims of censorship.

Little, Brown Book Group and English PEN have been incredible in creating awareness about the #FreeRaif movement. Not only have they been in instrumental in helping Ensaf Haidar in her road to getting published but they are also held a special vigil to raise awareness about Raif Badawi's plight. Additionally, world leaders who have the power to do more may need to re-evaluvate their own relationship with leaders of Saudi Arabia and take a stand on this issue. Raif has been recognized globally for his work with multiple accolades but the biggest award, his freedom is yet to come.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

There are number of ways one can support Raif Badawi and Ensaf Haidar: Visit raifbadawi.org for more details.

THE RATING

4 Stars

FINAL VERDICT:

Raif Badawi, The Voice of Freedom: My Husband, Our Story is a powerful account of one woman's fight for her husband's freedom. An absolute must-read for advocates of free speech.

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think - Raif Badawi

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a man called raid badawi and a woman called ensaf haider.
it is based in saudi arabia.
they fall in love and meet secretly.
they then get married and go on honey moon to syria and lebanon.
they have children.
their children are najwa, dodi and miriam.
he starts having an affair with a woman called lania.
the man starts a website for which he is accused of being a traitor and an unbeliever and people threaten to kill him.
the website he has is against the country which is saudi arabia.
they are both in danger.
so the woman goes to some egypt and then to lebanon.
she then goes to canada and takes an assylum over there.
raif badwai is accused of betraying the state which is saudi arabia.
he is sentenced to ten years in prison and 1000 lashes.
his wife is devastated by what is happening and does not know what to do.
she then goes international with the story and the whole world gets to know what is happening to her husband.
she recieves letters from all over the world giving her support and sympathy.
the end of the story is pretty sad and disturbing.

[cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appalling story of the Saudi persecution of her husband and her family. I found the story of how they got together despite the bizarre enforcement of the separation of men and women and blocking from the men in her family fascinating.

[The Literary Shed · Rating 4 out of 5]

WE, WHO ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH to live in democracies, accept freedom of speech and the civil liberties that we enjoy as our natural and inherent rights. But we are lucky: these rights are, in fact, privileges.

Raif Badawi: The Voice of Freedom, Ensaf Haidar’s moving love letter to her activist husband, brings this point home. Badawi, an activist and founder of the website Free Saudi Liberals, is currently imprisoned in Saudi Arabia on several charges, including insulting Islam and apostasy, his sentence 10 years in prison, a fine and 1,000 lashes, the first 50 of which have been administered already.

The book, which Haidar wrote with Andrea C. Hoffman, could be read as a straightforward love story. Certainly the strength of the Badawis’ love for each other is made clear from the moment the couple ‘met’, via a misdialled phone call made to a mobile that Haidar wasn’t even meant to have, through their illicit courtship in a country in which ‘too much freedom is seen as a risk’, their subsequent marriage, which took place despite family opposition, to Badawi’s persecution and imprisonment and Haidar’s fight, while in exile in Canada, for her husband’s release.

Raif Badawi, however, is much more than this – and not just because it highlights the injustices that the Badawis – and many people like them – have suffered, and the sacrifices that they as a family have had to make. What the book brings home, somewhat brutally perhaps, is that with freedom of speech comes great responsibility – and by that I mean about what we say and how we choose to say it. We must also accept that freedom of speech comes at a price – and that there may be consequences from voicing our words, our views, our opinions.

We live in a world in which most of us, at the press of a button, can get our views across to the masses via social media – Twitter, FB, instagram, YouTube, our blogs. While many of us use these forums to showcase opinions, debate issues we care about, highlight injustices – others equally use it to spread hate. And this is, regrettably, what Badawi’s own father, Mohammed Raif Badawi – did when he posted videos expressing his disapproval and dislike of his son and daughter’s behaviour on YouTube, videos that subsequently were taken up by groups pursuing other political, social and religious agendas and videos which, arguably, contributed to Badawi’s imprisonment and sentence.

In the book, Haidar is extremely honest about her relationship with her husband, particularly the difficulties that they faced as a young married couple in an extremely rigid society in which love marriages are not the norm. Seemingly, initially at least, as Badawi became more liberal in his views, this openness did not extend to his own wife.

‘In the course of the first two years of our marriage,’ Haidar writes, ‘our love lost the deep intimacy that had initially bound us together. We were living out the traditional Saudi Arabian gender roles. Except that I was the loser.’

Isolated from her family and friends, and aware of the increasing distance between them, Haidar made up her mind to change, to become more independent as a woman and to make herself more interesting to her husband. These changes brought the couple closer and also helped Haidar grow, possibly enabling her to develop the skills and strength that she would require to deal with the news of her husband’s imprisonment and the realities of being a single mother, living in exile, without any money or support system.

What shines through in this book is what an extraordinary woman Ensaf Haidar must be. Haidar has fought ceaselessly to free her husband, while bringing up three young children in a different culture, far away from her native land. And, it is largely due to Haidar, supported by a group of dedicated individuals and groups, such as Amnesty and English Pen, that Raif Badawi hasn’t been forgotten and is such a well-known figure globally. That Badawi’s friend, brother-in-law and lawyer, Waleed Abulkhair, is also now in prison, his crime defending Badawi against the charge of apostasy, emphasizes, yet again, how completely unjust this situation is. It also brings home how important it is for us to help bring about change through our voices, our words, through the very freedom of expression that we enjoy and so often take for granted.

As I type, the words of activist Malala Yousafzai come to mind: ‘We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced …

‘[O]ne book, one pen can change the world.’

I hope so.

I really hope so.

In fact, let’s make it so.

Originally published on www.theliteraryshed.co.uk
http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read...

[Priscilla]

Raif Badawi is a Saudi Arabian activist who was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment and 1000 lashes for founding a liberal website. This was in 2014. Now, his family and supporters are doing everything they can to campaign for his freedom.

This memoir is part of the foundation’s efforts. And dear God almighty, do we need to do something. Because the whole thing is outrageous and inconceivable.

If you want to join the campaign, use the hashtag #FreeRaif and/or write a letter to the Saudi authorities. A sample letter can be found on the English PEN website.

I don’t know. Maybe our social media efforts do not do much, but we got to at least try.

This is too much. Just because this does not happen in our country doesn’t mean we can sit by and do nothing.

Full review on Priscilla and her Books

[Hanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensaf's account is simple, candid and powerful - just like what we see of her on the web. It made for an excellent weekend read, with answers to many of the questions I had regarding Ensaf and Raif Badawi; what sort of an environment Ensaf grew up in, how they came to be vocal liberals, how she navigated from Saudi to Lebanon to Canada, what her fears are and how a home maker having come from a very conservative culture finds the strength and resource to fight the way she does. Highly recommend.

[Kati Polodna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel ignorant not knowing about this story. I feel lucky to live in a country where I have free speech and rights as a woman.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, this woman and her husband have the most appalling families. Vicious, treacherous, hypocritical, awful people. Of all the dreadful things in this book, I'm most shocked by the sheer nastiness of their relations. That might be an odd thing, considering that Badawi was sentenced and flogged by a Saudi court for promoting freedom of expression and women's rights, but it's hard to expect much from the Saudi Arabian government in the way of good behaviour, while clearly I still have unrealistic ideals of families sticking together, so the disappointment of the latter failure was much more disillusioning.

In a nutshell: this book records Haidar's experiences as her husband's work causes him to be investigated by his country's religious and secular authorities. The slow sense of rising doom is clearly apparent, and not long after Haidar and their three young children escape the country for Lebanon, and ultimately Canada, Badawi is arrested, charged, convicted, imprisoned, and publicly beaten. A quick trip to Wiki tells me that he has since been released, upon the completion of a ten year prison sentence, but that he's currently prevented from leaving Saudi Arabia for another decade, and so the separation of this small family continues... because honestly, you can't take children back to a country like that, you just can't. Although I suppose they're teenagers and young adults now, but even so. It goes to show, I think, the sheer importance of safeguarding freedom of speech and political protection for writers, and how crucial it is to maintain these ideals. Both Badawi and Haidar are clearly very brave and principled people, and I hope they get to see each other again soon.

[Michelle B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about the plight of Ensaf's husband, Raif, via Amenesty International. I have signed many petitions for his release and for the punishment of a further 950 lashes not to be carried out (and would urge all readers of this review to please sign such petitions). I wanted to find out more about Ensaf and her life with Raif so I bought this book a few months ago. I had deferred picking it up as I felt it would be such a painful story to read and needed to be in the right frame of mind to read it. I shouldn't have done so as, although it is clearly a very moving story, she is a strong and proud woman and records the details of her life with Raif but does not go into his punishment in an overly graphic way.
The story takes you through her early life, meeting Raif, their life together and their physical separation through forced circumstances.
Ensaf is clearly very careful not to inflame the situation to make matters worse for Raif. Therefore, when she details of problems in Saudi Arabia (such as their treatment of women, the strong interference of religion in law making) she does not overly criticise she just reports on the facts (as did Raif in his website) and her personal experiences.
Ensaf and Raif have an amazing story to tell, which Ensaf delivers so well and together with the insights she offers into life in Saudi Arabia this makes for a definite must read.

[Coralie Michon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Habituellement, j'adore lire des mémoires comme celui-ci, mais pour une raison qui m'échappe, je n'ai pas été capable de terminer celui-ci. L'histoire de Raif Badawi est une histoire que je connais particulièrement bien, avec des années d'expérience d'implication avec Amnistie Internationale. Pourtant, je m'attendais à quelque chose de cette autobiographie, probablement parce qu'Ensaf Haidar raconte l'histoire et je m'imaginais entendre le point de vue de son mari. Cependant, je tiens à dire que cela enlève absolument rien à leur histoire et ce qu'ils ont vécu, je les trouve absolument incroyables. Tout le monde devrait connaitre leur histoire, je conseillerais peut-être une autre source d'informations.

[Mathieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

À travers son histoire d’amour avec Raif Badawi, Ensaf Haidar nous fait découvrir la situation politique contemporaine en Arabie Saoudite. Ce récit est à la fois un essai, une histoire d’amour, une quête de liberté et un combat pour la dignité humaine. Elle nous fait passer de l’Arabie saoudite à l’Égypte, au Liban et finalement à Sherbrooke au Québec. Son récit est bouleversant et très important.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great reading especially in light of the disappearance of another Saudi dissident in the Their embassy in Istanbul. Raif has not been killed, but you can learn what the government does with people who disagree with Saudi dictatorship....very good book with stories told by a supportive and insightful wife.

[Smerdyakov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but as she admits herself she isn't a strong literary stylist.

[Alice Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish the book. I tried, but it breaks my heart too much.
I’m giving it five stars because it’s well written, and Ensaf’s and Raif’s courage is to be admired.

[Chelsea lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it really interesting to see how other people live. I like how they felt free when on holiday.

[Kiryn Dobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of human strength of Raif, Ensaf and there children. Something family should have to endure

[Sandra Östan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bättre än jag trodde. Gav verkligen en intressant inblick i ett samhälle som är svårt att förstå

[AliTit · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first rows of the book, I felt that I was sitting with a friend in front of the fireplace, for tea. As the "friend" told her story, I discovered in her a beautiful woman, full of energy, strong, courageous, devoted and loving. The book moved me to tears, in the last part and thus became a soul book for me.

[Doina Stina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book needs to be read. Free speech, women's rights in Saudi Arabia, power of grassroots organizing, themes so clearly explained by Raif Badawi and ,,inspired" by his wife's story.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is gripping, sad, and eye-opening - and still going on. We don't know the end of the story, nor do we know when or how it will unfold.

Ensaf Haidar has lived a life many of us only see in headlines or trending topics on Facebook (which don't do justice to any of it). Read her book to learn more about Muslim life in the Middle East, especially from a woman's perspective, and join in solidarity to #FreeRaif.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our initiatives had not only been in vain, it had terrible negative consequences."

This is a brutal book. It honestly recounts how blogger Raif Badawi was imprisoned and denied his rights for standing up for free speech. While I'll admit I hadn't heard of Raif - I don't know where I was at the time this all started - this book is a comprehensive look at Raif as a husband, father, and activist as well as what a strong woman Ensaf is.

The book is approachable - it's informative without being overly political. Ensaf starts the story with how she met her husband and what her life was like before Raif's imprisonment to give us an idea of what they've gone through as a couple instead of just jumping in to the present.

This is a great book that more people should read to bring attention to the plight of Raif and other prisoners.

[Hanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensaf's account is simple, candid and powerful - just like what we see of her on the web. It made for an excellent weekend read, with answers to many of the questions I had regarding Ensaf and Raif Badawi; what sort of an environment Ensaf grew up in, how they came to be vocal liberals, how she navigated from Saudi to Lebanon to Canada, what her fears are and how a home maker having come from a very conservative culture finds the strength and resource to fight the way she does. Highly recommend!

[Barbalata Mirela · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte cutremuratoare, o lectura usoara dar dureroasa, cu un impact emotional puternic. Cel putin pentru mine.

Recenzia mea o gasiti aici : https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/rai...

[Chiro Pipashito T H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent memoir.

[Anne-Marie]

Titre maladroit mais fenêtre incroyable sur les coutumes et la société de l'Arabie Saoudite.

[Dona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly explains Raif Badawi's story from a primary source, his wife.

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about the consequences of free speech and women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Also demonstrates the power of grass roots organizing.