SupportYemen: Silence Kills Yemen's Youth speak out to the international community, emphasizing their resistance to the attacks of government forces and their determination to continue demanding what they originally set out to achieve - equal rights, liberty, freedom from oppression and a dignified life.
SupportYemen: For Liberty In silent remembrance of the hundreds of lives lost in the youth's peaceful uprising against Saleh's regime. Friends and loved ones left behind continue their fight for freedom, justice and equality.
SupportYemen: What Would You Do? Some take basic human rights for granted, but for us, Yemenis, they are aspirations. We march for better education, better healthcare, freedom of speech, real democracy, for justice, and for dignity.
I have been tweeting, blogging, posting on different pages and groups on facebook urging people to #SupportYemen. Now I want to tell you why I support Yemen.
Yemen is my country, my homeland, the land of my ancestors and where my heart belongs. I support it and support the revolution because Yemen has been living in poverty, sickness and illiteracy for years. It is time for CHANGE. Yemen needs to rise after 33 years of corrupt rule and underdevelopment. Yemeni have the right to live a dignified life. They have the right to proper education, proper schools and teachers, proper health facilities, medicine and services. They have the right to express their opinions and not fear harassment, arrests and torture as a result. They have the right to feel safe in their country knowing that the army is there to defend and protect them, rather than defending the ruling family and killing them. They have the right to justice and an independent judiciary system. They have the right to elect and choose who to govern them and to know that Yemen's resources and financial aid is going to the proper channels for it's development and not to the bank accounts of the ruling family and corrupt regime members. Yemeni have the right to live in peace and safety and enjoy basic uninterrupted services, such as electricity, water and fuel.
Yemen is facing a grave economic, humanitarian and refugee crisis which is deteriorating as the revolution is prolonged due to Saleh's defiance to relinquish power. The current brutal regime needs to be removed immediately to stop the bloodshed and suffering of many Yemenis.
I live abroad and am blessed to have a good safe life and enjoy many services, and I want all my country men and women to live a comfortable and safe life too. My heart goes out to Yemen and the conditions the people have been living in, which just got aggravated since the revolution started, almost 9 months ago. So many lives have been lost and many are still facing continuos danger due to the ongoing violence and humanitarian hardship, yet the peaceful struggle continues.
I want my country to be safe so it can flourish and prosper. Yemen is a beautiful country and Yemenis have great potential and deserve a better life. There are many reasons why I support yemen, these were just a few.
Join us make that change by supporting Yemen.
Visit our Facebook page: #SupportYemen
Follow our twitter account: @SupportYemen
Visit our website: www.supportyemen.org (coming soon)
Volunteer to support our campaign, download and fill out this form
Donate to: YemenPeaceProject
Read: Yemenbloggers
Listen to: VoicesfromYemen, here is my voice: No 6 - @Noonarabia
Share the #SuppotYemen Video Campaign and any youtube videos related to Yemen and it's revolution such as this powerful one: Yemen: The Mother of All Revolutions
Use one of the #SupportYemen photos as your profile.
Follow Yemen's news, for reliable and constant updates visit this Facebook page: News of the Yemeni Revolution
Sign the petition: Saleh must be held Accountable
Write about Yemen in your newspapers, blogs, facebook profiles and tweets.
Follow events in your country through the #SupportYemen facebook page and join the protests.
Write to the policy makers in your country to support Yemen and impose sanctions against president Saleh. Lobby for Yemen's democracy and freedom.
Read this blog posting by a fellow activist for Simple Ways to Support Yemen from Abroad
The atrocities and blood shed in Yemen need to stop and we need the International Community's support and your support.
The people of Yemen have spoken and chose peace, therefore the international community has to firmly support Yemen inorder for the bloodshed and violence to stop.
"We have the dream, and we have the ability...we will not stop here, we will build our country," Karman said. "We tell Saudi that they should stand with the Yemeni people. And anyone who doesn't stand with our people, they are the losers. We know what it means to be free, and we will achieve it." Of today's vote at the United Nations, Karman said, "The international community has to create pressure on Saleh. ... "Dictatorships are going down and are done. There are a lot of scenarios for the end of those dictators...like running away like Ben Ali did. Or to be held accountable and prosecuted just like Mubarak, or maybe getting killed like Gaddafi. In Yemen, we will have our own scenario. We will not go in the direction of violence. And I ask the international community not to let Yemen go in that direction."
The Arab spring and the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Syria and Bahrain turned me from a spectator into an activist. As I was following news of the Tunisian's uprising which turned into a revolution and spread to the rest of the Arab world, my Arabism, patriotism and zeal grew which got me hooked to the TV and laptop for endless hours, following events, engaging in debates and expressing my views. My days suddenly turned into nights and I wouldn't realize it till the first rays of sun crept on me announcing the arrival of a new day.
I became an online activist, initially overtaken by the Egyptian revolution when I started my activism on Facebook. As the revolution in Yemen started to evolve and was filling the news along with the Libyan one, I shifted from the Egyptian revolution, since Mubarak was ousted and besides there were so many other hundreds of thousands covering it, and I started focusing instead on the rest of the Arab revolutions, but mainly Yemen's and hence I shifted from Facebook to twitter, which I felt was more dynamic and powerful.
Twitter transfered me to many places at once. I felt I was in Tahrir in Cairo, in Benghazi in Libya, in Change square is Sanaa, in Hama in Syria and in Manama in Bahrain. Just by following a certain timeline I heard the chants and the explosions and I felt the pain of the wounded and the loss of the martyrs.
I was actually apprehensive at first and worried when Yemen's revolution started. Yemen has the highest gun per capita ratio after the US and I thought it will turn into a blood bath from day one, but was pleasantly surprised, and so was the rest of the world. It turned into the most peaceful revolution of the Arab Spring due to the protesters commitment to peace, despite the regimes violence and killings. I never imagined the revolution would drag this long, nor for the suffering to be this severe. I pray for a peaceful resolve soon, although I doubt it will be a peaceful one, nor soon.
I was taught to stand for what is right and fight for what I believe in and was fortunate enough to travel the world and have a good education. I hope all the people in Yemen will soon enjoy this right. Therefore I used all my knowledge and skills to speak out and advocate for the freedom and democracy of my country, and so did many other Yemeni activists in Yemen and abroad. We joined our efforts and collaborated to support Yemen and the revolution and together we will persevere, despite anyone or anything.
Before the Arab Spring started I was a wife and a mother of four (one is in heaven) and that was my main job. I suddenly became a full time online activist, an addicted twitter and a blogger besides all my other duties. I can't wait for all this chaos and violence to end, for everyone to enjoy safety and stability, to move on and start rebuilding. We all want and need peace and stability in our lives and soon. I salute all online activists and stand in awe for the freedom fighters who suffered and struggled, advocating for change in their country, I pray for the ones who were in the front lines and paid the price with their lives, blood, sweat and tears. May God bless all the revolutionaries in the Arab spring and beyond and have mercy on those who sacrificed their lives for all of us to live a better life. We will win and we owe it to them to make our countries better.
"A dreamer is one who can find his way by moonlight and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" Oscar Wilde
I dream of a Yemen where everyone has a roof on top of their head
I dream of a Yemen where everyone has a meal on their table
I dream of a Yemen where poverty is addressed and managed
I dream of a Yemen where electricity and water are a norm not a privilege
I dream of a Yemen where health and education are a basic right
I dream of a Yemen where infrastructure is actually built not just planned
I dream of a Yemen where a woman in labour can see her newborn *
I dream of a Yemen where an infant * can survive and grow into a healthy child
I dream of a Yemen where a child can safely go to school, instead of work or be wed
I dream of a Yemen where freedom, justice, and equality are a reality
I dream of Yemen where rights are respected, granted and opinions freely expressed
I dream of a Yemen where we can choose who represents and leads us
I dream of a Yemen where there is no North or South
I dream of a Yemen where injustices and grievances are rectified
I dream of a Yemen we all, equally strive to repair and rebuild together
I dream of a Yemen where positions are earned due to merit not family name, gender, tribe or region
I dream of a Yemen with a civil state that adheres to human rights and gender equality
I dream of a Yemen where a woman's role is not confined to her household or family
I dream of a Yemen where Qat chewing is an old shunned habit
I dream of a Yemen where water is efficiently used to irrigate crops
I dream of a Yemen where fields and valleys are filled with coffee and grapes
I dream of a Yemen with no association to al Qaeda and terrorism
I dream of a Yemen as a tourist destination for heritage and hospitality
I dream of a Yemen as a haven for tourists to admire and enjoy
I dream of a Yemen who's resources are reinstated, enhanced and generated
I dream of a Yemen who's lands and ports are respected and safeguarded
I dream of a Yemen where neighboring countries leave us alone, if not wanting our well-being
I dream of a Yemen where foreign companies are not exploiting us
I dream of a Yemen where western and regional forces can't choose our leaders, nor shape our future
I dream of a Yemen where dominant political figures empower our youth to lead
I dream of a Yemen where change yearned for, is attained and dignity restored
I dream of a Yemen where precious martyrs lives are not lost in vain
I dream of a Yemen where no further blood is shed nor homes destroyed
I dream of Yemen where the revolution albeit the longest will be the most peaceful
I dream of a Yemen who's revolution succeeds and is taught in history books
I dream of a Yemen which we struggled for, become what we want and more
I dream of a Yemen that is respected and esteemed by the world
I dream of a Yemen that can once again be called Arabia Felix
I dream of a Yemen that we can all return to and proudly say is our homeland
"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe"- Gail Devers
This has certainly been the spring of Arab uprisings and a very long awaited awakening. What started with a protest for a daily life survival right by one man triggered and transcended to a regional outcry for political, economic, social reforms and above all human rights. Being an Arab, I proudly monitored the pioneering Tunisian Revolution, being Egyptian I felt the struggle and emotions of the inspiring Egyptian Revolution and being Yemeni by birth and origin, I am living the suffering of the Peaceful Yemeni Revolution. Besides monitoring and tweeting major headlines happening in Libya, Syria, Bahrain, Jordan and Palestine which is always in my heart.
I am not going to go through the reasons for these uprisings, I am sure we all know them, although some differ on the reasons behind them. Some think they are due to genuine reasons while others think they are due to a "conspiracy theory" and that is the shaping of the so called "New Middle East". I personally thank God it happened what ever the reason behind it, although I agree more with the first school of thought.
A thank you is in order. I want to thank first and foremost all the martyrs who died for these revolutions starting withMohamed Bouazizi down to the last soul that has just parted us. These heroes sacrificed their lives for our freedom and democracy and to them we will always be in indebted, and we owe it to them to make these revolutions succeed. My deepest sympathy and prayers goes to all their families and friends. I also thank all the protesters who went out to the streets and participated in the sit-ins, marches and demonstrations and suffered gun shot injuries, beatings, inhaled gas, and even went through the fatigue of the process. Another note of gratitude goes to all the activists on the ground and on the net wether at home or abroad who have rallied for their countries. All your work, time and effort is certainly noticed and much appreciated by your country and country men and women.
These revolutions, through Facebook and twitter have certainly brought us closer, and we have certainly felt the solidarity and humanity overflowing. Twitter by far is a fascinating forum for sharing our ideas, hopes and aspirations. I have been impressed by inspiring minds of people whom I have never met but whom I consider now as friends. And as a new found friend and activist said in her tweet: "i love the #solidarity found on twitter. it affirms that #humanity is still alive. #oneworld". Another activist and very prominent journalist pointed that through these revolutions we have learned more about each others culture, geography, history and especially the struggles. I pray that all our Arab revolutions will be successful and realize most, if not all their aims and that those still struggling will see the light soon and that it will all be worthwhile in the end.
Last but not least I want to thank my family for their support and understanding during my long hours glued in front of the TV and on the laptop. I am sure these revolutions had a toll on many household besides mine :(
