With the participation of women from around the world, the human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Tawakkol Karman, took part in a side-event held today in Mönchengladbach on the sidelines of Nobel Women’s Initiative conference titled

"Global Feminist Resistance: Evolution and Revolution, Adapting to Survive Thrive”. RTL’s chief foreign correspondent Antonia Rados, who has been working as a crisis and war reporter for 30 years, was in charge of the discussion round.  

Here is Mrs. Karman’s contribution during the activity 

 

The idea of ​​peaceful struggle

It was quite difficult to demonstrate for freedom of expression and for human rights in general, but also against corruption, terrorism and wars.

The idea of peaceful action itself was very difficult; under totalitarian regimes, which have rejected this democratic right. It was also difficult for us as women suffering from both oppression and suppression practiced either by the political regime, false customs and traditions, or also by false religious fatwas. As a result, we decided to engage in a community struggle whose pioneers should be women, and this was the real challenge; as a woman, how I could be at the front of the ranks, and how I could convince people of two main things: of their right to expression and peaceful struggle as an only means to reach rights and freedoms, and of me as a woman. 

In order for women to transcend their role as a victim, we had to play the role of leader. Thus it was difficult to convince them of the peaceful struggle and of demonstrating and siding with me against corruption, violations of human rights and tyranny. But this difficulty soon faded as I went through the challenge, cutting the ribbon of struggle and convincing the public and the world that there are women who could stand up to corruption and tyranny. We convinced the society that women are the most important way to get rid of despotism and corruption.

It was a real challenge for me as a female wearing a hijab and as a woman living in a traditional society. I think that the gender was not an obstacle to change. Women accepted the challenge of change in Yemen and took to the streets. Under the rule of dictatorial regimes in our region, dangers were everywhere. People talked about women and hijab. Hijab is my image and my dream, and this, as I think, falls within individual freedom. Change, justice, equality and democracy, however, are what women fought for, regardless of hijab. We women made the future and overthrew the dictatorships.

 

Prejudice against Muslims

The order to bar the entry of Muslims into the United States is a discriminatory measure against all human rights, but rather against rights and liberties on which the United States itself was founded. Such move, which reinforces prejudice against all Muslims, pushes them into a corner and accuses them of terrorism, serves the interests of terrorists, but not of great powers and their peoples. For Muslims, this prejudice reinforces the claim of terrorists that Islam as a religion and Muslims as a nation- not extremism as a thought and system and terrorism as a thought and violence- are targeted by the West. 

Letting Muslims die under the regimes of tyranny, corruption and terrorism is actually more serious than racism against Muslims and preventing them from entering western countries; the dictator Bashar al-Assad has killed millions of his people and Egypt’s ousted president killed protestors in streets. In Yemen, the same thing has been done by Houthi militia and ousted president Saleh; also in Libya.

 

Arrest vs Struggle

I remember as I was alone, calling for peaceful struggle and shouting: "peaceful ... peaceful ... our revolution is peaceful". I became an object of ridicule among those around me. They tried to discourage me and convince me to return home and leave the struggle in the street, justifying that I would remain alone in the street. But at one point, while I was lone with only few victims whose cause I had advocated for, I told them around me a day will come when all the streets of Yemen will be filled with people chanting the same slogans and demanding justice, freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

I was imprisoned and I was alone; I was kidnapped and became the first one to be arrested, abducted and put in a women's prison for political reasons. This was a wakening moment for Yemenis who took to the streets, demanding the same thing, chanting the same slogans, calling for the peaceful struggle and using the same tools.

Yes, we are now suffering from a counterrevolution, but now Tawakkol is no longer alone. There are now hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who share the struggle’s idea.

I have given this example because our Arab Spring countries are struggling right now for justice, equality, freedom and the awakening of free peoples. I have always lectured in many places in the West, asking them not to leave us alone in the face of dictatorships.