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THE FIRST
MUSLIM WOMAN NOBLE PRIZE WINNER
Shirin
Ebadi
<<...Ebadi represents Reformed Islam, and argues for
a new interpretation of Islamic law which is in harmony with vital human
rights such as democracy, equality before the law, religious freedom and
freedom of speech. As for religious freedom...
...with Islam as her starting point, Ebadi campaigns for peaceful
solutions to social problems, and promotes new thinking on Islamic terms.
She has displayed great personal courage as a lawyer defending individuals
and groups who have fallen victim to a powerful political and legal system
that is legitimized through
an inhumane interpretation of Islam...>>
SHIRIN EBADI
The Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi was born in
1947. She received a law degree from
the University of Tehran. In the years 1975-79 she served as president of
the city court of Tehran, one
the first female judges in Iran. After the revolution in 1979 she was
forced to resign. She now works as a
lawyer and also teaches at the University of Tehran.
Both in her research and as an activist, she is known for promoting
peaceful, democratic solutions to
serious problems in society. She takes an active part in the public debate
and is well-known and admired by
the general public in her country for her defense in court of victims of
the conservative faction's attack
on freedom of speech and political freedom.
Ebadi represents Reformed Islam, and argues for a new interpretation of
Islamic law which is in harmony with
vital human rights such as democracy, equality before the law, religious
freedom and freedom of speech. As
for religious freedom, it should be noted that Ebadi also includes the
rights of members of the bahai community, which has had problems in Iran
ever since its foundation.
Ebadi is an activist for refugee rights, as well as those of women and
children. She is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of
Children's Rights in Iran. Ebadi has written a number of academic books
and articles focused on human rights. Among her books translated into
English are The Rights of the Child. A Study of Legal Aspects of
Children's Rights in Iran (Tehran, 1994), published with support from
UNICEF, and History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran (New York,
2000).
As a lawyer, she has been involved in a number of controversial political
cases. She was the attorney of the families of the writers and
intellectuals who were victims of the serial murders in 1999-2000. She has
worked actively - and successfully - to reveal the principals behind the
attack on the students at Tehran University in 1999 where several students
died. As a consequence, Ebadi has been imprisoned on numerous occasions.
With Islam as her starting point, Ebadi campaigns for peaceful solutions
to social problems, and promotes
new thinking on Islamic terms. She has displayed great personal courage as
a lawyer defending individuals and
groups who have fallen victim to a powerful political and legal system
that is legitimized through an inhumane interpretation of Islam. Ebadi has
shown her willingness and ability to cooperate with representatives of
secular as well as religious views. Oslo, 10 October 2003
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