SANA'A: Yemeni activist and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkul Karman told the press that she was being targeted by Ansar al Shariah, a group linked to al-Qaeda, which operates in the southern provinces of Yemen. The group, which calls for Yemen to operate under strict Islamic rules allegedly sent Karman several threatening text messages, accusing her of apostasy and informing her that she had been condemned to death for her crimes. Karman, who is a member of the al-Islah party, Yemen's Islamist political faction, has been criticized for advocating for women in the country to take charge of their lives and become active participants of public life. The move was understood by many conservatives as a critique of Islamic traditions and an attack against Yemeni family values. “Women are the pillars of society and their duties are first to their children and husband. I don't see how running for public office and meddling with men is helping anyone. Karman is leading women on the wrong path, she wants to westernize our wives and daughters and this is wrong,“ said one Salafist, an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim. Despite her popularity amongst revolutionaries, many politicians are tiring of Karman's taste for controversy and her outspokenness, but most importantly it is perhaps her recent admission that she was considering running for the presidency that hit a nerve. The government refused to comment on incident. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/xJHuq Tags: Al Qaeda, featured, Target, Tawakkul Karman Section: Latest News, Women, Yemen
