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ut the case was ultimately dismissed just beforeelection day.In the 1989 elections, no woman had succeededin being elected to parliament. In response, Jordanintroduced a 10% electoral quota for women to ensurewomen’s representation in parliamentary andmunicipal elections. In the next elections, for theperiod 1993 to 1997, Faisal won a seat in the mostcompetitive elite constituency in Amman. 7 She ranin the elections with a reform manifesto similar towhat the “Harak” (the Jordanian version of the ArabSpring) demands now.Tribal and Muslim MPs were shocked when theysaw her entering the parliament wearing a shortskirt with the minimum amount of clothing requiredby law. In the parliament, Faisal was a strong heroin fighting corruption, which she considers a cancerin Jordan.Faisal is an icon in Jordan for many women andmen. Many call her the “strongest man” in fightingcorruption. She opposes such statements, but sheunderstands their context in a patriarchal society.In 2002 she wrote an article for a US-basedwebsite called Arab Times, 8 which is still blockedin Jordan, accusing the prime minister, Ali Abu al-Raghib, of having personally benefited from a newgovernment policy that doubled the costs of carinsurance.The State Security Court sentenced her to 18months in prison for spreading information harmfulto the reputation of the state. Her jailing “coincidedwith the beginnings of the internet boom,” she toldme. 9 She added that “the broad local, Arab and internationalsupport I received forced my release.”She went on a hunger strike for 29 days, and KingAbdullah II pardoned her after she had served 100days in prison.“After my release (unconditional, because I refusedall deals to stop or limit my media activities),and after I was prevented from running for parliament,I resumed my fight against corruption notonly as a political writer, but also as a ‘legislator’ bydiscussing new laws in detail, the way I would havedone in parliament,” she said. “The interest of themedia in the case was logically bound to go beyondfreedom of speech, and look into the magnitudeof the corruption that caused such an arrest,” sheadded. She was banned from running in the 2003elections for having been sentenced to prison.7 This means that she chose to run in the most difficult constituencyin Jordan’s capital.8 www.arabtimes.com. The article can be reached in countries thatblock it at: www.arabmail.de/16.3.02jordan.html9 An email from Faisal answering the writer’s questions on 13 April2013.At that time, Faisal was boycotted by the Jordanianmedia, as no media outlet dared to publish herarticles. Nonetheless, from outside the walls of parliament,Faisal continued to campaign for women’srights and democracy in the country.Faisal had also been prevented from continuing toteach at a private university. While she was banned bythe state-controlled TV, radio and most printed media,the relatively uncontrolled internet space offered anoutlet for her views. Many people believed that shehad emigrated or was living in exile, she noted.“[The internet] gave me a huge and unprecedentedopportunity to express my opinions andideas to people who want to receive information,”she explained. 10 “The internet also gave me and isstill giving me a hand in fighting cancer,” she added.Faisal knows what cancer is, as she has been sufferingfrom it for ten years – she covers her head with amodern hat because she is losing her hair.“ICTs help people share information which leadsto more transparency, and helps to fight anothertype of cancer, but one which is more dangerousto the state: corruption,” said Faisal. 11 She added,“Corruption is the worst type of cancer.” 12When the Arab Spring buds started in Tunisiaand exploded in Egypt and Libya, the Spring wasbound to impact on Jordan. On the day of the firstbig pan-Jordan rallies, in January 2011, Faisal wasconfined to bed suffering the effects of chemotherapy.Yet the demonstrators were shouting her name:“God bless your times, Toujan!”If what is said about the patient’s morale beinga crucial factor in combating cancer is true, thenthat dose of people’s love sustained over years ofimposed intellectual exile in her home country wasmore effective than the chemotherapy, and its gentletouch outweighed the harshness of the medicaltreatment: “I felt the ‘blessing’, no less!” she said. 13Her fans number in the thousands. She appearsfrequently on Al Jazeera satellite TV. She also writesregularly for the Qatari daily Al Raya, which manyJordanian websites republish, and which has attracteda wide readership.A carrot and stick approachFaisal’s is a representative story of a pioneeringwoman working tirelessly ahead of the Arab Spring.That phenomenon started three years ago already10 Ibid.11 www.filmirsad.com/opinions12 For more information on corruption in Jordan, see GISWatch 2012- The internet and corruption, at: www.giswatch.org/en/countryreport/internet-and-corruption/jordan13 An email from Faisal answering the writer’s questions on 13 April2013.157 / Global Information Society Watch