Tawakkol Karman: Fueling violence and sabotage in America

Shaimaa Yahya

Inciting violence and fueling conflicts is one of the main features of the Brotherhood’s ideology, which has been evident in the angry waves of violence that have swept various countries, including the bloody events and sabotage witnessed in the United States recently during protests in a number of the states in the aftermath of the killing of African-American George Floyd.

Hate speech

The Brotherhood has supported the violence, which has sparked anger among many activists and politicians, especially following statements of Brotherhood-affiliated Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman regarding the demonstrations against US President Donald Trump’s government in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Karman tweeted a message to rioters in the United States, saying, “To the Great American People at a time when they struggle and affirm their historic long struggle against discrimination, and thus making the world more free and safer, You are the loved of God and blessed be to you!”

The Brotherhood loyalist’s comment raised many questions, as she followed the path of sedition and incitement. She is also a member of the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah), the Brotherhood’s arm in Yemen, and has been involved in supporting the crimes of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia against the Yemeni people, as well as adopting the paid Qatari-Turkish agenda against Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Arab politicians angered

Karman’s statements were met with severe attacks by Arab politicians and activists after the scene escalated in the United States with acts of looting, theft and violence. Yemeni Southern Transitional Council Vice President Hani bin Buraik confirmed that the Brotherhood had exploited riots and violence in America, tweeting, “Looting, destruction, disturbing the peace and spreading terror in the street is not a struggle against racial discrimination in a country that set the most remarkable example of freedom from racism with the arrival of an African president for two terms, and due to an individual error. The perpetrator will be held accountable and does not represent the institutions of the state.”

Egyptian activist Mohamed Barakat said that Karman’s comment on the US demonstrations is conclusive evidence that it is false and that the Egyptian people are right, while Saudi activist Hassan Nayef Al-Subaie described her on Twitter as a “terrorist criminal” who uses religious slogans to destroy humanity.

Karman is known for her discourse of violence and hatred in many situations, which raises questions about her selection as one of the members of the Facebook Oversight Board and about how they choose the criteria for the work of these organizations, especially since there is plenty of evidence confirming Karman’s involvement in many issues related to supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region.

Karman’s position also indicates a Qatari penetration of media institutions, study centers and human rights organizations in a way that affects these institutions in favor of the Qatari-Brotherhood agenda, as there are strong relations between the Qatari regime and Karman. The New York Times revealed that some research and study centers receive Qatari funding, including the Brookings Institution.

The New York Times reported that Qatar pumped about $15 million in a grant over four years to establish the Brookings Doha Center, adding that researchers working at the center revealed the existence of tacit agreements stipulating that there would be no criticism of the Qatari regime in the reports issued by the center.