All the posts I have in my blog are about my expulsion from the polytechnic. This will change starting from today!
TODAY, I have had mixed feelings just like every day. Is it nausea? Yes, I’m very disgusted with people’s attitude towards the case in Bahrain. Is it confusion? Might be. I cannot tolerate injustice anymore. I’m not sure which feeling is stronger, but what I know as a fact is that “I’M ANGRY, VERY ANGRY!”
On a humanitarian level, Zainab (@angryarabiya) is a pretty ordinary human being. She doesn’t possess “superpowers”; she cannot fly or break down a wall by just looking at it. What makes her special, though, is that she decided to fly from the swamp of fear that most of us live in, and break down the walls of silence to tell the whole world: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
How many people do actually hear her calling? The answer is: Thousands if not millions! Zainab AlKhawaja made her way into almost every Bahrain-related article, documentary video or TV interviews. However, so sadly few are the ones who can “truly” get what she is saying. Few are the ones who can actually feel the enormous pain she carries in her voice and eyes. That pain is hers and ours, the betrayed people of Bahrain. I say “betrayed” because the world preferred silence over action! The world kept and is keeping watching us treated like a bunch of toys, an owner breaks when he\she gets mad, and yet do nothing about it.
Zainab Al Khawaja (@angryarabiya) and many other Bahraini women keep reminding me of a very inspiring American woman, Alice Paul.
Here’s how I came to know about her (Alice Paul):
In Minnesota, and as a part of the program I was participating in, all of us (the participants) were invited to an American family house for a movie night.
The family was very nice and friendly; they cooked “Halal” dinner for us and served sweets. Later on, we gathered in their house basement. It was a very chilly winter night where we had to cover ourselves with heavy blankets even though the fireplace was on. An ideal atmosphere to watch a movie! The family asked: have you watched “Iron Jawed Angels” movie before? It is what we are going to watch tonight.
Some of the participants were tired as a result of the long day we had, so they slept during the movie. But for me and just like many others that night, I was so fascinated by the story that I couldn’t sleep. The movie tells the story of Alice Paul and her friends, American activists who fought to give women their rights to vote.
Now, the reason why Zainab reminds me of Alice Paul is the identical incidents they both went through while defending human rights. Both Alice and Zainab went on a hunger strike demanding NOT only their rights, but the rights of others too. Both of them got harassed, threatened and cursed by the people who didn’t like what they were looking forward to achive. The two of them refused to remain silent when everyone else was forced to do so. Zainab stood like a steadfast mountain on the roundabout green grass where she was dragged and beaten before getting arrested. Just like Alice and her friends who were protesting in front of the US president house. They stood in front of the white house protesting even when seasons changed and snow covered their weak bodies, they too got arrested eventually.
Peaceful protest! That’s what they both were doing, Zainab and Alice..
here are some pictures of Alice with the protesters +Zainab with other protesters:
Today I salute all the brave people of Bahrain not only Zainab. And today I address my speech to the world leaders and wonder, aren’t Bahrainis humans? Online photos and videos of Bahrainis being dragged on the ground do not shake you?
I really don’t count on you (political leaders) of this world.
I count on the nations you rule, those who you constantly misrepresent. I count on humans all around this world, those who see what violations of basic human rights happen to us here and stand against it. And YES! I count on God.
I, now, demand the immediate release of Zainab Al Khawaja and all the political prisoners. I demand giving people their rights. ALL THEIR RIGHTS!
I demand HUMANITY, HUMANITY FOR GOD SAKE!!!
I refuse to sit back, watch the injustice and think that all I can do is cry and weep. I choose to speak up, how about you?
Noor
17-12-2011
fa da (@lightBhr) said,
16/12/2011 @ 8:56 pm
today i feel angry about everything .. Zainab , more than 48 martyr , the pain in my beloved ones voice and my country !
painful article !
Noor Al-Derazi said,
18/12/2011 @ 8:13 am
I can understand what ur saying.. I hope we can all overcome this pain soon.. Inshallah
YN said,
16/12/2011 @ 9:41 pm
Zainab an innocent girl demanding rights and defending rights of human
She deserves burning the ruling family, if they tried to mistreat her..
Zainab should be freed immediately
Noor Al-Derazi said,
18/12/2011 @ 8:15 am
Not only her, many innocent Bahrainis are behind bars. It’s time for them to be out with their loved ones, and it’s about time for all of us to get our rights.. Thank u for ur comment..
janiceryan said,
16/12/2011 @ 9:53 pm
And another point….Alice Paul was successful.
Noor Al-Derazi said,
18/12/2011 @ 8:16 am
TRUE! And the thing is, success is what u always get for defending a right cause..
ali baba said,
17/12/2011 @ 9:32 am
Zainab seems more like instigating sectarian hatred and calling for further rifts between society than anything else. Her arrest was warranted and she shouldn’t do the crime if she can’t do the time.
Noor Al-Derazi said,
18/12/2011 @ 8:19 am
I strongly disagree with you. I have never read or heared any sectarian messages in her tweets or interviews.. I advice you to check her tweets.. Thank you for commenting though
beenasarwar said,
17/12/2011 @ 10:44 pm
Inspiring post, thank you for speaking up.
Noor Al-Derazi said,
18/12/2011 @ 8:20 am
Thank you fir your comment. I appreciate it
Linda Williams said,
19/12/2011 @ 8:48 am
An excellent article.
Zainab is whom I look forward to be! : Arabic Network For Human Rights Informations said,
20/12/2011 @ 8:27 am
[...] a friend of mine wrote in her blog under the title of (Zainab Al Khawaja, Bahrain’s Alice Paul), that Zainab reminds her so much of Alice Paul (The American Human Rights Activist, Alice [...]