In their eight months of peaceful revolution, Yemenis have been an inspiration to many, not only to Arabs but to the world at large. Despite being the poorest Arab country, Yemeni men and women exhibited their richness in bravery, resilience and steadfast but mostly they impressed the world with their peacefulness.
Taiz has been known as the city of resilience, the heart of Yemen's revolution, and hence has been subject to continuous shelling for the past months by the Republican Guards, led by Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed.
The following video shows the brave women of Taiz, whose city was shelled by Saleh's forces in the evening, marching the very next day despite the rain to condemn the violence and demand the trial of Saleh and his family. (video posted by: mohammednaruto1)
Revolutionary women have been peacefully marching daily side by side with men in the streets of Yemen.
The next video shows the women of Dhamar as they marched chanting to the military to stop defending Saleh's brutal regime and condemning the regime's mass punishment of cutting basic services such as electricity and water. (Video posted by: almenifi)
In the capital Sanaa, outraged women marched out condemning the “fatwa” (religious edict) which Saleh urged his loyal clerics to issue prohibiting protests as this video posted by the mediacentersanaa shows.
The video which follows shows the heavy presence of women in the March on Octocber 4th in Sanaa saluting Yemen's National anthem. (Videos posted by: alqershi2011)
On the same day the Organizing Committee of the Yemeni Youth Popular Revolution issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and followed it by a video statement read by a brave revolutionary woman stating the demands of the youth.
Yemen and its revolution are often marginalized yet the peacefulness of Yemenis in making their demands continues to be an inspiration to many. Today one of our female revolutionary leaders, Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. It is certainly a victory and honor for Arabs, for Yemen, for women, for activists, for freedom fighters but mostly it is a victory for Yemeni revolutionaries and Yemen's peaceful revolution.
* This post was first published in Global Voices, on October 7th, 2011
"As long as I live - no matter what I do - my goals will remain the same. Ending corruption, defending human rights, fighting dictatorship" - Tawakkol Karman
A Muslim, an Arab, a Yemeni woman won the 2011 Noble Peace Prize breaking so many stereotypes all at once. Muslim and Arab women, especially Yemeni have often been perceived as oppressed, subdued and submissive, yet Tawakkol Karman, a journalist and mother of three corrected this misconception. She is a human rights activists who created the human rights group Women Journalists withit Chains (WJWC) in 2005 to promote human rights, "particularly freedom of opinion and expression, and democratic rights". She had been calling for change and peacefully protested to topple Saleh's corrupt regime long before the Arab spring, when nobody in Yemen believed it was even possible. She has been arrested, threatened, harassed by the regime yet exhibited bravery, courage, steadfast and a heroic determination to pursue her cause. The Prize motivation which she shared with two other great women from Liberia, President Ellen Jihnson Sirleaf and peace activist Leymah Gbowee as quoted by the Noble Prize official website was for "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work". She had been living in a tent for the past 8 months, speaking out and leading peaceful protests in Sanaa's Change square, where she heard news of her Noble Peace Prize award.
Tawakkol Karman in a conversation with Sudarsan Raghavan said she "hoped the United States and the rest of the international community would increase pressure on Saleh to step down and face trial. It was clear that she had no intention of leaving her tent until the regime falls."
"This award did not come to me as Tawakkol Karman the individual, it came to me as a daughter of this great nation, that amazed the world with its peacefulness. No one could solve the riddle of this nation ... it was the international community's recognition of the most amazing revolution the world has ever seen."
Yemen and it's current revolution are often marginalized, yet it continues to inspire those who follow it. Tawakkol Karman Noble Peace Prize is an acknowledgment, honor and victory for Arabs, for Yemen, for human rights activists but mostly for Yemeni revolutionaries and Yemen's Peaceful Revolution.
I have always been proud to be an Arab and a Yemeni, but Tawakkol made me more proud to be so. Whenever asked where I originally came from since I am proudly Egyptian too, I reply "from Yemen, land of Sheba and Queen Bilquis", but now I'll boast and say "from Yemen, the country of Tawakkol Karman, this Year's Noble Peace Prize winner.
Tawakkol Karman, an outspoken journalist and human rights activist, described in the Guardian as a “thorn in [Yemeni President Ali Abdullah] Saleh's back”, was today named as Yemen's first Noble Peace Prize winner. She has been a prime example of courage and bravery in Yemen since 2007.
In the following video, posted by the channel of “Women Journalists Without Chains“, which Karman heads, she is shown leading a peaceful march condemning Saleh and Saudi Arabia's interference in Yemen's revolution and vowing to bring back the days of former president Ibrahim Alhamdi, whom Yemenis choose to honor today (October 7) calling it “Friday of Martyr Ibrahim Alhamdi”. (Video posted: belaquood)
Tawakkol Karman is a leader in Yemen's peaceful revolution against it's brutal and corrupt regime. She encouraged Yemeni to bravely pursue their struggle to topple the dictatorial regime, as she leads the chants in Sanaa's Change square, shown in this video posted also by Women Journalist Without Chainschannel. Undoubtedly she has been an inspiration to many men and women, and not only Yemeni.
Reactions to Tawakkol Karman's win were expressed all over Twitter. Here are some of them.
what should be remember about #TawakkulKarman is her role in speaking out against injustice & oppression since 2007 #supportyemen #yemen
Afrah Nasser a Yemeni journalist and blogger, now based in Sweden after receiving threats from the regime vloggged her reaction to the news in this video:
Tawwakul: “I dedicate this Prize to all Arab revolutionary in #Tunisia, #Egypt, #Syria & #Libya.” Live interview with her on Suhail TV now.
Yemen, unfortunately, has been associated in the media with terrorism and violence, yet Tawakkol Karman's Noble Prize and Yemen's current revolution managed to associate it with Peace, forever.
In their eight months of peaceful revolution, Yemenis have been an inspiration to many, not only to Arabs but to the world at large. Despite being the poorest Arab country, Yemeni men and women exhibited their richness in bravery, resilience and steadfast but mostly they impressed the world with their peacefulness.
Taiz has been known as the city of resilience, the heart of Yemen's revolution, and hence has been subject to continuous shelling for the past months by the Republican Guards, led by Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh's son, Ahmed.
The following video shows the brave women of Taiz, whose city was shelled by Saleh's forces in the evening, marching the very next day despite the rain to condemn the violence and demand the trial of Saleh and his family. (video posted by: mohammednaruto1)
Revolutionary women have been peacefully marching daily side by side with men in the streets of Yemen.
The next video shows the women of Dhamar as they marched chanting to the military to stop defending Saleh's brutal regime and condemning the regime's mass punishment of cutting basic services such as electricity and water. (Video posted by: almenifi)
In the capital Sanaa, outraged women marched out condemning the “fatwa” (religious edict) which Saleh urged his loyal clerics to issue prohibiting protests as this video posted by the mediacentersanaa shows.
The video which follows shows the heavy presence of women in the March on Octocber 4th in Sanaa saluting Yemen's National anthem. (Videos posted by: alqershi2011)
On the same day the Organizing Committee of the Yemeni Youth Popular Revolution issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and followed it by a video statement read by a brave revolutionary woman stating the demands of the youth.
Yemen and its revolution are often marginalized yet the peacefulness of Yemenis in making their demands continues to be an inspiration to many. Today one of our female revolutionary leaders, Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. It is certainly a victory and honor for Arabs, for Yemen, for women, for activists, for freedom fighters but mostly it is a victory for Yemeni revolutionaries and Yemen's peaceful revolution.
Steve Jobs died today, October 6th, 2011 at the age of 56 and left us with a great legacy, not just the Apple Mac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iCloud but a huge impact on our lives. His death is certainly a great loss for humanity and innovation.
As we remember Steve Job's creativity and genius, we also remember the legacy of the person he was. His great 2005 commencement address in Standford University is a great testimony of such a great man whereby he urged the graduates to pursue their dreams and see opportunities from life's setbacks.
He describes how getting fired from Apple, the company that he had built was a turning point in his life, and how his love and determination turned it from being a set back into another success in his life.
"I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over."
"I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."
"...you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."
"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
This is the 3rd part of his commencement address which has a strong profound and powerful message to all of us, especially today:
"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
"About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes."
"I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now."
"This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept."
"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
Powerful words indeed and the last words in his address were:
"Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you."
"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."
This is the video of his 2005 Standford Commencement Address:
Thank you Steve, we are extremely saddened by this loss. R.I.P. iSorrowful
I come from an ancient land known as Arabia Felix.
I come from a land who's history and heritage goes back to thousands of years.
I come from a land that was ruled by two great women, Bilquis, Queen of Sheba and Arwa bint Ahmed.
I come from a land that was known for it's famous coffee valleys and varied grape vineyards.
I come from a country that has often been used and abused by rulers and their allies.
I come from a country that in economy, education, development, and health has the lowest indicators.
I come from a country that in the Arab world, is the poorest.
I come from a country that has been associated with terrorism and terrorists.
I come from a land often misconceived, misrepresented and misunderstood.
I come from a land often disregarded and subdued.
I come form a land in turmoil and it's people in plight for more the past eight months.
I come from a land facing a dire economic and humanitarian crisis.
I come from a country who's people demanded change by peaceful protests.
I come from country who's people are fighting for their basic human rights.
I come from a country who's people revolted against a brutal and corrupt regime.
I come from a country who's people are being massacred for opposing that regime.
I come from a country who's people are enduring hardships to live.
I come from a country who's regime takes away rights and services rather than give.
I come from a land who's youth have hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow.
I come from a land who's youth have potential and ambitions to overcome the sorrow.
I come from a land who's youth are committed to build a new civil nation.
I come from a land who's youth are resilient and determined to make it happen.
I come from a country mostly armed yet refused war as a solution.
I come from a country with the longest peaceful revolution.
Revolutionaries in both Syria and Yemen who have both been revolting against defiant despots and brutal regimes for months unified the name of their Friday demonstrations, in solidarity. On the “Friday of Victory to Syria and Yemen,” activists in both countries coordinated their efforts to share not only the same name, but the same banners, slogans, as well as audio and video materials.
Powerful chants for freedom to both Syria and Yemen were heard all over Sanaa's 60th Street on the “Friday of Victory to Syria and Yemen.” (Video posted by alabdulkadir)
In Taiz this Friday, protesters chanted in solidarity with Syria “we sacrifice our soul and blood for you Syria”. (Videos posted by: taizcitynet)
They chanted “the future is for the free, No Ali, no Bashar, the time of villains has passed, long live the Arab people”.
Protesters in Hodeidah chanted also for freedom to Syria and Yemen and solidarity to the revolutionaries in Dara'a. (Video posted by: shababalhodeidah)
Moving on to Syria, in Tadmor, Syrian protesters also chanted “Syria and Yemen are one.” (Videos posted by: SHAMSNN)
In Halab, protesters repeated a Yemeni chant “death rather than disgrace”
And in Idlib, Syria, protesters chanted in solidarity for Yemen.
