Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, November 08, 2013

Tawakkol Karman, First Arab Woman Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Gives Away Her $500,000 Award

Tawakkul Karman, the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, has donated all $500,000 of her award money.

Dubbed the “mother of the revolution” in the mass uprising against the authoritarian regime of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Karman was one of three women to get the esteemed prize in 2011. Two years later, Karman has decided to give away all of the money she received to further advance her mission, CNN reported.

Her gesture falls in line with the selfless way she dedicated her award when she received it in 2011.

“This prize is not for Tawakkul, it is for the whole Yemeni people, for the martyrs, for the cause of standing up to (Saleh) and his gangs,” she said, according to the Associated Press.

Karman announced that she’ll be donating the prize money to the Aid Fund for Families of Martyrs and Wounded in the Peaceful Revolution, an organization founded by President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi that helps people who were injured and families grieving for loved ones killed during the uprising.

“I know it's a humble contribution,” Karman said in her speech, which was posted to her Facebook page. “I leave here the most valuable thing I have to the most precious people I love. It is a symbolic gesture in the way towards a promising future that we take part in shaping and where everyone give their best or their most.”

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Eleanor Goldberg

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