[1] Shehabi was raised in London by her father, political exile Saeed al-Shehabi, leader of the Bahrain Freedom Movement.
[2] Shehabi took part in the 2011 Bahraini Uprising, helping to run a media centre, covering the events and attending protests at Pearl Roundabout.
[2][5][6][4] Shortly afterward, her husband was arrested for political reasons, and she was dismissed from her job, being told she was "a risk" to the university.
[2] Farhan was arrested by Bahraini security forces in April 2011 and sentenced to three years in prison, although he was released after ten months.
[1][2][4][7] Outside groups such as Human Rights Watch have speculated his arrest was due to Shehabi's political activities.