One Year Later. It’s Still Dignity Before Bread.“Dignity before bread. Mohammad’s first concern was his dignity. Dignity before bread” – Mannoubia Bouazizi, the mother of Mohammad Bouazizi, TIME Magazine

This Arab ‘Awakening’ has both inspired and focused us. NAAP has always stood for the ‘empowerment’ & ‘advancement’ of our people and now is no different – especially now.

Over the past year now, we have put the principles of freedom, human rights, democracy, equality and dignity AHEAD of any individual differences and have organized our networks to support the democratic aspirations of our people.

Together, we have launched DAWN – Democracy in the Arab World Now, to inform and connect people. NAAP chapters have taken part in vigils, sit-ins, protests, educational lectures – we have connected countless members (both here and abroad) with the media, and we, while a humble effort, are doing our part to not sit on the sidelines during this inspiring, yet uncertain time.

We do recognize this isn’t always the most popular thing to do; “selective freedom”, however, whether for political access and interest, or for comfort and convenience, is inconsistent with our vision, mission and aspirations.

We believe we can all play a role, large or small, in amplifying the calls for freedom from Tunisia and Libya to Egypt, Palestine to Syria, Bahrain to Yemen and beyond. The inspiration from our mother countries has truly driven us to look to a future that was only a year ago, unimaginable.

One year later, we are grateful to Mohammad Bouazizi for his self-sacrifice, and recognize, that as we move forward, the pursuit of ‘Dignity’ for all our people will help us achieve our vision of a prosperous and influential community.