Ibrahim Al-Hajiby: A Remarkable Yemeni Coincidence

My name is Ibrahim Al-Hajiby; I am an international student from Yemen currently attending Augsburg College. I am greatly honored to be serving as the Global Day Intern for the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College which will host a remarkable woman from my home country, Tawakel Karman, as a keynote speaker. Karman is a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize; she is the first Arab woman to ever receive such a prestigious award. I still remember the moment when I received the news that a lady from Yemen won the Nobel Peace Prize; I did not believe what I was hearing. I received the news while I was sleeping on the concrete footsteps of Christensen Center continuing my 24-hours peaceful demonstration named “Silence is a War Crime.” The event was a stand in solidarity with young men and woman around the world who marched their streets peacefully seeking basic human rights and dignity for themselves and for generations to come.

What a remarkable coincidence for me to hear about a fellow country woman’s incredible achievement while illustrating my passion for human rights and social justice in my college campus.

There’s also a short video about our demonstration on YouTube, which you can view below.