Tawakkol Karman

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Lore & Background

Tawakkol Karman gained prominence in Yemen after 2005 as a journalist and advocate for press freedom, particularly following the denial of a license for a mobile phone news service in 2007, after which she led protests. After May 2007, she organized weekly protests advocating for broader reforms in Yemen. In early 2011, she shifted the protests to align with the broader Arab Spring movement, inspired by the Tunisian revolution that overthrew the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. She was a vocal opponent who called for the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's government. She was often referred to as the 'Iron Woman' and the 'Mother of the Revolution' in Yemen. Karman co-founded the human rights group Women Journalists Without Chains with seven other female journalists in 2005 to promote human rights, 'particularly freedom of opinion and expression, and democratic rights.' She has said she received 'threats and temptations' and was the target of harassment from the Yemeni authorities by telephone and letter. In 2007, the group released a report that documented Yemeni abuses of press freedom since 2005. From 2007 to 2010, Karman regularly led demonstrations and sit-ins in Tahrir Square, Sana'a. She stopped wearing the traditional niqab in favour of more colourful hijabs that showed her face. She first appeared without the niqab at a conference in 2004. During a protest in 2010, a woman attempted to stab Karman with a jambiya, but her supporters intervened and prevented the attack. According to her brother Tariq Karman, she also received a death threat from 'a senior Yemeni official' on 26 January 2011, warning her to stop her public protests. Journalist Dexter Filkins later identified this official as President Ali Abdullah Saleh in The New Yorker. The Turkish government offered her Turkish citizenship, which she received from the Turkish foreign minister on 11 October 2012, tracing her family origin to Karaman Province in Central Anatolia. Like many Yemenis, Karman was forced to leave Yemen after the Houthi takeover of the capital, Sana'a, due to the worsening security situation. From her new home in Istanbul, she continues to speak out against injustices in Yemen, including the war waged by the Saudi-UAE-led coalition and U.S. drone attacks. On 17 December 2020, Karman reported that Houthi rebels raided her home and office, taking control of both locations after looting them.

Reader's Guide

Tawakkol Karman's significance lies in her role as a leading figure in the 2011 Yemeni uprising and her advocacy for press freedom and women's rights in a conservative society. As co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, she became the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her organization, Women Journalists Without Chains, challenged government restrictions on media and SMS news services, and she regularly led protests in Tahrir Square, Sana'a. Karman's activism extended to opposing child marriage and government corruption, and she maintained that her ties with international organizations were 'among equals.' Her legacy includes being a symbol of non-violent struggle in the Arab Spring, though she was forced into exile after the Houthi takeover. She continues to speak out against the Saudi-UAE-led coalition and U.S. drone attacks in Yemen, and has expressed support for the Palestinian people in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Her personal choices, such as replacing the niqab with a hijab, reflected her view that full covering is cultural, not dictated by Islam.

Did You Know?

• Karman was often referred to as the 'Iron Woman' and the 'Mother of the Revolution' in Yemen.
• During a protest in 2010, a woman attempted to stab Karman with a jambiya, but her supporters intervened and prevented the attack.
• The Turkish government offered her Turkish citizenship, which she received on 11 October 2012, tracing her family origin to Karaman Province in Central Anatolia.
• On 17 December 2020, Karman reported that Houthi rebels raided her home and office, taking control of both locations after looting them.
• She is the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Prize.