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Nobel
Prize winner Shirin Ebadi shares
her passion for peace with Barnard
updated
04.23.08
Shirin
Ebadi
Photo by David Wentworth/Barnard College |
It may
have been the first time President Judith Shapiro has
spoken Farsi but, judging from the enthusiastic crowd of Iranian
students and visitors gathered in a Barnard lecture hall last
night, it might not be the last. After welcoming Nobel Peace
Prize winner Shirin Ebadi to Barnard in Ebadi's native tongue,
Shapiro switched to English, introducing the Iranian lawyer
and human rights activist as "a role model for Barnard
women" and telling the audience that the lecture they
were about to hear was of "the utmost importance, given
the times, to future female leaders."
As a vocal
critic of the conservative regime in her home country, Ebadi
knows a thing or two about courage and leadership. She has
been fearless in her lifelong efforts to advance democracy
and human rights in Iran and has been imprisoned and threatened
on numerous occasions for her work.
Indeed,
the numerous policemen and security guards that were present
at Barnard last night underscored the real and immediate risks
to Ebadi's life. Her visit to New York comes only a week after
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered Iran's police
chief to ensure her safety in light of death threats made
against Ebadi and her family that have intensified in recent
months.
But her
valor has not gone unnoticed by the world. In 2003, Ebadi
became the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to be
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In its statement, the Nobel
award committee praised her courage, noting that she had "never
heeded the threat to her own safety."
Early
in her career, in 1975, Ebadi became the first female judge
in her country, but was demoted from presiding judge to low-level
secretarial clerk of the Tehran City Court after the victory
of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Despite repeated attempts,
Ebadi was barred from practicing law until 1992. As a lawyer,
Ebadi now takes on the kind of politically sensitive cases
most Iranian lawyers would never dream of touching—defending
families of slain political dissidents, women's rights activists,
abused children, and banned writers. She also lectures at
the University of Tehran, has published numerous books and
articles, and travels the world, speaking out about democracy
and human rights.
"She's
my personal hero," said Shirin Soufian '08, as she introduced
Ebadi to the crowd. "It is my dream to welcome her here
to our campus." Soufian, among other students, was involved
in bringing Ebadi to Barnard.
Photo by David Wentworth/Barnard College |
Ebadi
faced a crowd of admirers last night inside the Julius Held
Lecture Hall and addressed the packed room, via her English
interpreter. The title of her lecture was "Women's Roles
in Peacebuilding," but the discussion dove deeper than
that subject alone. Ebadi spoke passionately about how democracy
and women's rights are intertwined, and about the situation
facing women in Iran; she also voiced concern about the possibility
of an American invasion of her homeland.
Ebadi
said, in her lecture, that unfortunately civilization has
not progressed enough that women and men are valued equally
in society. And while oppression varies by culture, its existence
is everywhere. "In my country, a woman's life is equal
to half of a man's life," she said. "That means
if two people, one man and one woman, are killed in a taxi
accident, the woman's life is only worth half of the man's.
Can you imagine?"
Left
to right: Columbia University President Lee Bollinger,
Shirin Ebadi, Barnard College President Judith Shapiro
Photo by David Wentworth/Barnard College |
Yet progress
has been made in some areas, slowly. Despite laws passed after
the 1979 Revolution that downgraded women's rights in Iran,
today 65 percent of Iranian students are female, and women
serve in the parliament. "Women have even infiltrated
the radical forces of Iran, and radicals can no longer ignore
the capabilities of Iranian women," she said. "We
still have a lot of work to do."
Ebadi
explained that in many Middle Eastern countries under conservative
Muslim rule, there is a wide interpretation of Islamic law,
but that the underlying current is a patriarchal culture.
"This type of patriarchal culture does not believe in
democracy," she added. "You'll find in most countries
that when women's rights are not present, neither is democracy."
Ebadi
also touched upon other concerns, namely the threat of a possible
foreign invasion of Iran. The issue has come up recently in
light of Iran's efforts to attain nuclear capability. "The
people of Iran enjoy a good relationship with America,"
said Ebadi. "But we must be allowed to fix things ourselves.
The improvement of the situation in Iran is the responsibility
of the people in Iran and has nothing to do with the stationing
of foreign troops in our country." Ebadi warned that
American threats against Iran only harm human rights efforts
inside the country.
Like many
countries under threat, their government, she said, would
simply use "national security" as a guise to strip
away personal freedoms. "Let us forget our governments
and continue our friendship," she said to the crowd.
During
a question-and-answer session following the lecture, Ebadi
was asked what advice she would give to women who want to
follow in her footsteps. "Well, often human rights activists
start working when conditions are bad for human rights,"
she said, dryly. "The first thing is that you must never
lose hope, and you have to always be prepared to work for
human rights. Even during times of peace conditions."
She urged Barnard women to "seek your dreams, never stop
hoping for your dreams…and rest assured that you will
achieve them," said Ebadi. "How do you envision
your country in the future?" asked another student. "The
future of Iran will be built by women. The women's movement
is unsurpassed in Iran. It is the strongest movement of all,"
said Ebadi, as the crowd clapped and cheered.
—Maya Dollarhide |
