Our peaceful and popular youth revolution is not isolated or cut off from the revolutions of the Arab spring. However, with all regret and sadness, I should note that it did not get the international understanding, support or attention of the other revolutions in the region. This should haunt the world's conscience because it challenges the very idea of fairness and justice.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Through you and your great universal forum, we send to the world a clear and expres- 20 sive message in which we emphasize that:
• Our youth revolution is peaceful and popular and is rallied around by the people. It
dreams of a free and democratic homeland with no room for tyranny, dictatorship,
corruption or failure. I, on behalf of the revolutionary youth, pledge to all people in the world that we are committed to peaceful struggle as a strategic option, without deviation or retreat, regardless of the sacrifices and regardless of the extent of state repression, killing and violence.
Our youth revolution is peaceful and popular and is motivated by a just cause, and has just demands and legitimate objectives, which fully meet all divine laws, secular conventions and charters of international human rights. Our revolution is determined to fully change the corrupt conditions and ensure free and dignified life, regardless of sacrifices and bitter sufferings, until the establishment of a democratic civil state, a state where the rule of law, equality and a peaceful transfer of power prevail.
Our peaceful popular youth revolution has succeeded in attracting to its ranks and marches hundreds of thousands of women who have fulfilled, and still fulfill, a major, noticeable and effective role in its activities, and in leading its demonstrations even to the smallest details. Not tens, but hundreds of these women have fallen as martyrs or been wounded for the sake of the victory of the revolution.
Because of the peaceful popular youth revolution, the voice and thundering march of young people have dominated and the voice of terror and explosive belts, which were employed by Ali Saleh as a justification for his rule, has faded away. The culture of peace is expanding and spreading, and it is finding a place in every neighborhood and street where these young people walk demanding peaceful change and democracy.
Our peaceful popular youth revolution has demonstrated that the values and objectives of freedom, democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and press, peace, human coexistence, fight against corruption and organized crime, war on terrorism, and resistance to violence, extremism and dictatorship, are values, ideals, demands and objectives of common human interest, and are cherished by the whole international community. These are not subject to division, selectivity or cancellation under the pretext of differences in human characteristics or the requirements of sovereignty in any way.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to emphasize that the Arab spring revolutions have emerged with the purpose of meeting the needs of the people of the region for a state of citizenship and the rule of law. They have emerged as an expression of people's dissatisfaction with the state of corruption, nepotism and bribery. These revolutions were ignited by young men and women who are yearning for freedom and dignity. They know that their revolutions pass through four stages which can't be bypassed:
Toppling the dictator and his family
Toppling his security and military services and his nepotism networks
Establishing the institutions of the transitional state
Moving towards constitutional legitimacy and establishing the modern civil and democratic state
Thus, the revolutions of the Arab spring will continue through the effort of youth, who are ready and prepared to launch each stage and to fully achieve its objectives. Today, the world should be ready and prepared to support the young Arab spring in all stages of its struggle for freedom and dignity. The civilized world should, immediately after the outbreak of the revolutions of youth, commence the detention and freezing of the assets of the figures of the regime and its security and military officials. In fact this is not enough, since these people should be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court. There should be no immunity for killers who rob the food of the people.
The democratic world, which has told us a lot about the virtues of democracy and good governance, should not be indifferent to what is happening in Yemen and Syria, and happened before that in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and happens in every Arab and non-Arab country aspiring for freedom. All of that is just hard labor during the birth of democracy which requires support and assistance, not fear and caution.
Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, to share my belief that peace will remain the hope of mankind forever, and that the best hope for a better future for mankind will always drive us to speak noble words and do noble deeds. Together, we will push the horizons, one after another, towards a world of true human perfection.
Finally, I ponder myself standing here before you, in this moment, which every 25 man and woman aspires to reach because of the recognition and appreciation it contains. As I do so, I see the great number of Arab women, without whose hard struggles and quest to win their rights in a society dominated by the supremacy of men I wouldn't be here. This supremacy has caused a lot of injustice to both men and women. To all those women, whom history and the severity of ruling systems have made unseen, to all women who made sacrifices for the sake of a healthy society with just relationships between women and men, to all those women who are still stumbling on the path of freedom in countries with no social justice or equal opportunities, to all of them I say: thank you . . . this day wouldn't have come true without you.
Peace be upon you. UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Why does Karman begin by quoting the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran? What rhetorical effect does she produce by citing the same message from three different religious texts?
How would you describe her view of the future of the Arab world? Would you consider her more optimistic or pessimistic?
What does Karman see as the primary characteristics of a just society of the future? What conditions have to be met for a society to be considered just?
What two kinds of war does Karman identify? Which type does she see as worse?
What does Karman mean by a false "peace of graves"? What kind of peace is achieved by submitting to tyranny and oppression?
What four stages of a popular revolution does Karman identify? Why is it important for a revolutionary movement to pass through all four stages?
Why does Karman believe that the Arab revolutions cannot be successful unless they fully empower women? How has the "supremacy of men" helped to perpetuate the injustices that she describes?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Compare Karman's view of the false "peace of graves" with Martin Luther King Jr.'s view of "negative peace" in "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (p. 425).