As the nation's most vocal and well-known activist, the 32-year-old mother of three is helping to shatter perceptions of women in this conservative society, while emboldening a new generation of Yemenis to demand an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's three-decade-long grip on this country.
"We are in need of heroes," said Abdul-Ghani Al-Iryani, a Yemeni political analyst. "She manages to do what most men cannot do in a society that is highly prejudiced against women."
Since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down after nearly 30 years in power Friday, thousands of reenergized Yemenis, from students to laborers, lawyers to human rights activists, have taken to the streets of Sanaa and other cities to speak out against Yemen's corruption, high unemployment and lack of basic freedoms. The anti-government protests, while still small compared with those that transformed Egypt and Tunisia, are getting louder and more confident.
On Sunday, the protesters marched for the first time to the presidential palace. And Monday, they clashed with pro-government demonstrators outside Sanaa University.
"After Egypt, all the dictators in this region will fall, and the first one will be Ali Abdullah Saleh," Karman said. "Egypt has given us a model, because Mubarak was the strongest dictator in the region. We now believe we can bring revolution here."
Unequal treatment
While women have actively participated in the protests across the Arab world, the symbols of defiance have mostly been men. Tunisia had Mohamed Bouazizi, the fruit seller whose self-immolation triggered the popular uprising that ended the rule of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Egypt had Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who energized the pro-democracy demonstrations that ultimately pressured Mubarak to resign.
Few expected a woman to lead the charge in Yemen, where the vast majority of protesters have been men. Most women here are not free to marry whom they want; many are married off as children. In court, their testimonies are worth half those of men. When women are murdered, their families are compensated at half the amount they would receive for male victims. They are also treated unequally in matters of inheritance. Violence against women is rife, human rights activists say.
"Tawakkol is one of the bravest people in this country," said Khaled al-Anesi, a lawyer and pro-democracy activist. "It is not easy for a woman to fight and go to the streets demanding change in a country like Yemen."
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