Maryam Alkhawaja

Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja (Arabic: مريم عبدالهادي الخواجة) is a Bahraini human rights defenders. She is the daughter of the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and head of the foreign relations office for Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

Maryam Alkhawaja
Born	Maryam Abdulhadi Alkhawaja January 1, 1987 (1987-01-01) (age 24) Syria
Residence	Kingdom of Bahrain
Occupation	Human rights defender
Years active	2007–present
Religion	Islam
Website
http://www.bahrainrights.org/

Early life

Maryam's was born in Syria to then-exiled Abdulhadi Alkhawaja and his wife, Khadija al-Mousawi, who had been banned from Bahrain in the mid-1980s. At age two, she and her family were granted political asylum in Denmark.^[1] They lived in Denmark until returning to Manama in 2001, as soon as they were allowed re-entry. Maryam was 14.^[2]

Maryam graduated from the University of Bahrain in 2009, then embarked on a Fulbright scholarship to Brown University in the U.S. Upon her return in the summer of 2010, she hoped to find work teaching or in public relations. But as the daughter of one of their most prominent foes, regime officials effectively blocked her ability to get hired. So she turned to the family business: the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, founded by her father. Now she runs the foreign relations office, serving as a deputy to its president, Nabeel Rajab, who appears regularly in the international press and is one of the few activists in Manama to have avoided arrest.^[2]

Human Rights activism

In 2007, she led a BBC crew to Shiite villages as a translator to interview victims of the systematic oppression of Shiites and to expose the dire situation they face in Bahrain, where Shiites are discriminated against in all sectors of society. She listens to stories of discrimination and injustice and conveys the victims’ messages to international audiences through her advocacy.^[1]

Involvement in the 2011 Bahraini uprising

External videos
	Maryam Alkhawaja participation in Oslo Freedom forum in May 2011 on YouTube

Maryam was present in Bahrain during the demonstrations, but she boarded a flight from Manama, booked for talks at colleges and conferences, meeting with politicians in the U.K. With Center president Rajab's scope limited as he is not allowed to leave the country, and it remains difficult for media to get in and at least 500 top opposition members locked away, the activist's daughter is in a unique position.^[2]

As her public profile grew, it became apparent that she would risk arrest should she set foot back on Bahraini soil. "Maryam felt obliged to leave [Bahrain]. And she felt, or the Centre felt, that she should remain outside for her well- being." Joe Stork said.^[2]

In April, Alkhawaja paricipated in U.S. - Islamic World Forum^[3]

In May, Alkhawaja participated in Oslo freedom forum.^[1] She stunned the audience with her experiences of government violence in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She described the killing of student protestors, the torture of democracy advocates, and how human rights defenders are "disappeared." Maryam also detailed how troops from a neighboring dictatorship, Saudi Arabia, rushed into Bahrain to prop up the crown prince's regime.^[4]

On 13 May, Alkhawja was one of witnesses in a congress hearing about Human rights in Bahrain.^[5][6]

Threats and harassment

The only danger Maryam faces is that of pro-regime trolls, mainly via internet portals like Twitter, on which she has more than 17,500 followers. "She obviously comes into a lot of harassment," Stork said.^[2] She did not attend IFEX General Meeting and Strategy Conference in Beirut in early June after receiving death threats.^[7]

Within minutes of Maryam's speech in Oslo Freedom Forum (streamed live online) the global Bahraini PR machine went into dramatic overdrive. A tightly organized ring of Twitter accounts began to unleash hundreds of tweets accusing Maryam of being an extremist, a liar, and a servant of Iran. Simultaneously, the Oslo Freedom Forum's email account was bombarded with messages, all crudely made from a simple template, arguing that Maryam Alkhawaja is an enemy of the Bahraini people and a "traitor." Most of the U.S.-based fake tweeting, fake blogging (flogging), and online manipulation is carried out from inside Qorvis Communication's "Geo-Political Solutions" division.^[4]

The effort is mechanical and centrally organized, and it goes beyond the online world. In fact, right before Maryam was to give her speech, she noticed two young women in the crowd who stalk her speeches and heckled her a few days earlier at an event in the U.S.^[4]

An anonymous defamatory campaign against Nabeel Rajab and Maryam Alkhawaja was launched in early May 2011, with the active and passive support of the Bahraini authorities.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Staff writer (May 2011). Oslo Freedom Forum. http://www.oslofreedomforum.com/speakers/maryam_al_khawaja.html. Retrieved 117 July 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Staff writer (29 June 2011). "The Atlantic: Exiled and 24: The Young Woman Fighting for Bahrain". Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. http://www.bahrainrights.org/en/node/4338. Retrieved 13 July 2011. 
3. ^ "2011 Participants", U.S. - Islamic World Forum, April 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b c} Thor Halvorssen (19 May 2011). Huffpost. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/pr-mercenaries-their-dict_b_863716.html. Retrieved 17 July 2011. 
5. ^ "POMED Notes: “Human Rights in Bahrain”", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 13 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
6. ^ "HEARING NOTICE: HUMAN RIGHTS IN BAHRAIN", Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, 13 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
7. ^ "IFEX calls on Bahrain's rulers to end detention and torture of those jailed solely for peacefully expressing themselves", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 28 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
8. ^ "The Observatory: Slandering campaign against Mr. Nabeel Rajab and Ms. Maryam Al Khawaja", Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, 30 June 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.

Persondata
Name
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 January 1987
Place of birth	Denmark
Date of death
Place of death