Nobel Laureate Tawakkol’s Views on Non-violent Movement

Tawakkul Karman, the first Arab female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize award, is a firm believer in the power of efficient non-violent resistance movements and the effectiveness of the same in creating positive change in the broader society. She has often been nicknamed the "Iron Woman" and the "Mother of the Revolution" for her pioneering efforts in contributing significantly towards laying the foundations of the Yemeni Revolution of 2011. Her life is an epitome of the power of the incredibly strong resolve of those in peaceful resistance movements. She believes in the power of non-violent resistance movements not merely as a means of winning the conflict in the short term, but more so as an enriching framework that promises a far more sustainable approach towards the establishment of democracy and the dispensation of justice in the broader society.

Yemeni human rights activist Karman's activism emerged and grew in a context of heightened political instability and unrest in her country. Instead of using violence and armed struggle, she chose to take up a role that would seek to tap into the power of her voice and those of other non-violence protestors who sought to engage in non-violent protests. In particular, she took up a role of organising protests for students while establishing herself as a journalist in a bid to bring to light the grave human rights violations which were taking place within the state, together with zealously championing professions of political reform that are of critical significance. It was because of this unwavering stance on a non-violence ideology, even in the face of state suppression and crusade, that she emerged a winner of a very highly coveted Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2011. This highly coveted prize was issued together with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee in recognition of collective roles towards ensuring the non-violent crusade of safeguarding and advancing the cause of protecting women while championing the rights of women to full participation within the very critical profession of peace-building.

Karman is of the view that the internal strength and achievement of a non-violent movement can be ascribed to the fact that its moral high ground not only enables it to distinguish itself from others, but it also lends it greater integrity and at the same time enables it to attract a significantly broader spectrum of people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Violence, as a form of expression of dissent or a means to achieve certain goals, Karman is of the view, results in further violence, giving rise to vicious cycles of vengeance and annihilation, which ultimately fuel conflicts further. As to non-violent resistance, however, there is something exceptional about it; it appeals to the consciences of people and has the potential to transform even people who may have been opposed to its objectives and goals earlier. The approach also enables the ordinary citizen, despite their physical strength, to become the catalyst for fundamental change in the world.

She repeatedly highlights the crucial difference that non-violence must not be confused with passivity; it in fact calls for huge amounts of courage, tactical genius, and steadfastness to its principles. It is not to be regarded as a passive condition or latency but as an active reservoir of resistance against perceived injustice, using peaceful weapons such as organised demonstrations, acts of civil disobedience, and availing itself of the power of effective communication. Karman has seen for herself how such powerful tools could confront even the most repressive forms of authoritarianism by denying them their brutality while at the same time garnering mass popular support for real change.

Karman also highlights and accentuates the inherent inclusive tendency in peaceful movements. While armed struggles have an inherent tendency to create fault lines in societies, peaceful struggles have this amazing ability to unite people who may have different backgrounds, cultures, and religious affiliations. People come together in pursuit of an aspiration towards justice, united in the hopes of having a better tomorrow for all. This tremendous sense of unity is indeed a force to be reckoned with, one that authoritarian regimes and repressive governments are no longer able to combat in the long term.

In a world that so many times suffers from so many different kinds of conflict and strife, the resolute and firm belief in the concepts of non-violent action represented by the incredibly magnificent life and life's work of Tawakkol Karman presents a powerful and uplifting message of hope for all people across the world. She reminds the world that change is not always attained through the use of guns or violence but instead can come from the collective will of people courageously fighting for what is just. The resolute life and life's work of Tawakkol Karman represents an inspiring and enlightening discussion about how the power of peace can indeed be much stronger than the sword or any other weapon of warfare.

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The writer is Assistant Professor of English at Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Dhaka