Posted on 02/01/2004 12:59:14 AM PST by SadeghSaleh
By: Setare Kaviyan
For the first time in history an Iranian woman named Shirin Ebadi has been awarded with the Noble Peace Prize. This great accomplishment by Miss Ebadi was the cause of utmost bliss and pride amongst the Iranians. Iranians began seeing a new light of hope with Miss Ebadi’s accomplishment, and they believed that through her, human rights could once again be brought to Iran. Ms. Ebadi’s record was quite impressive; with being a judge during the previous regime and working diligently on human rights in Iran, particularly on the rights of women and children. With all these qualifications Ms. Ebadi had become the pride of numerous Iranian women all over the world. Unfortunately, the winds have changed and Ms. Ebadi has brought great disappointment to the Iranian people. The Nobel Prize winner chose to use her victory to relate to Muslim woman as opposed to the Iranian Bahai, Jewish and, Zoroastrian women who are being persecuted specifically for their faith...Miss Ebadi has forgotten the non- Muslim women for whose rights she had fought for many years. A debatable subject matter about Ms. Ebadi’s acceptance speech was that she first stated that she was not a politician, and that she would continue in her human rights activities in Iran. Ironically at the same time she started to discourage freedom fighters in Iran from taking to the streets and protesting for their rights. When families of political prisoners were protesting in front of the UN she was the one who encouraged them to stop their protests. She has also continuously encouraged the Iranians to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, and as a matter of fact she has stated that if Iranians don’t vote, nothing will change. The absurdity of such comments can be fully appreciated by simply looking back at all that was achieved by “reformists”, which to put it mildly is – nothing changed. It is widely known that a high voter turn out in the February elections will give Islamic Regime some much needed legitimacy within the international community. Without legitimacy European countries cannot claim that the theocracy is really a democracy. In the municipal elections of last February the voter turn out was as low as 12%, and a similarly low voter turn out is expected for the parliamentary elections. A low turn out will serve to show the international community once again that the theocratic government does not have the support of the majority of Iranians, and that the lofty notion that the theocracy can be reformed is simply wishful thinking. Another issue that needs to be considered when discussing voting is the fact that the Iranian president is a reformist as is the majority of parliament. Even so there have been no major changes in the human rights situation in Iran in the past seven years. In fact looking at reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International one can argue that Human rights became almost non-existent since the reformist parliament has come to power. That raises the question: is voting going to make anything better, and how will it benefit the people when it has not done so in the past seven years? Why is Ms. Ebadi encouraging such actions when she herself has experienced the human rights violations taken place in Iran since President Khatami and the reformist parliament have come to power? Why is it that Ms. Ebadi has stated over and over again that she is not a politician and will work only within the Iranian system for human rights, yet at the same time she takes steps which are not only political but also in favor of the Islamic Regime? Many have argued that because she is in Iran, she cannot speak openly and that she is doing the best she can with the freedoms that she has. That could possibly be an acceptable argument, if only if Ms. Ebadi would refrain from talking about politics and lack of freedom in Iran. But she is doing the opposite by openly making statements that are in fact in support and favor of the Iranian government. Ms. Ebadi has stated on numerous occasions that President Khatami is the true deserving candidate of Noble Peace Prize. This is quite a ridiculous statement considering Mr. Khatami’s record since he became the president of Iran in 1997 has lacked any positive achievements. His record includes the chain murder of political activists and journalists whose murders were linked to the intelligent services of Iran. How can one forget the student uprising in 1999 when student leaders and hundreds of student activists were arrested? Not only did Mr. Khatami not condemn the arrest of peaceful student activists but also he announced them to be “hoodlums and trouble makers.” The numbers of executions in Iran were the second highest in the world according to Amnesty International in the past two years, and the list goes on. Looking at Mr. Khatami’s record and Ms. Ebadi’s comment, it makes one wonder about her sense of judgment as well as where her loyalty and devotion lies. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has committed a number of other acts, which have caused many Iranians to question her credibility and sincerity. For example at the same time when she discussed there should be “no international interference in Iran’s internal affairs” she traveled to France asking Chirac to support the reformist movement. During her acceptance speech she was too engaged in bashing the U.S. policies that she neglected to mention the plight of 4000 students who were arrested for peacefully protesting in the summer of 2003. Ms Ebadi’s statements and speeches have hindered the movement for freedom whether it is in Iran or abroad. A simple example to cite the influence Ms. Ebadi has can be seen when Richard Armitage of the State Department was quoting Ms. Ebadi. The State Department is supposed to follow the Presidents line, in which this case the President has stated that America stands with the Iranian people. Considering that Iranians no longer want a theocracy, it is rather strange that the State Department is quoting someone who would like to keep the theocracy in place, which is the exact opposite of the wishes of the people of Iran. Why is it that Ms. Ebadi has stated repeatedly that she is not a politician and will only work for human rights but at the next turn she takes steps which are not only political but in favor of the Islamic Regime and its crimes against humanity. It is rather ironic that a human rights activist is speaking in support of a system of government in which the government declared anti-torture bills illegal. How can she claim to support human rights yet encourage the Iranian people to vote for this treacherous regime, and not to protest against them? The Iranian people may see and even appreciate Ms. Ebadi as a human rights activist, but that is about as far as their gratefulness will go. She is seen neither as a freedom fighter or an opponent of the regime, because she has chosen to work within the system, not against it. Perhaps it is best that Ms. Ebadi keeps her word and does not involve herself in politics since she does not possess any experience in that vicinity. It would be wise on her account to stay within her own field of expertise (human rights). Possibly this will be the only way she can succeed in winning the trust, and support of Iranians. . Ms. Ebadi should use her influence in helping the freedom loving people of Iran, rather than aiding the Iranian Regime in torturing them any further.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nobel Peace Prize Winner; unable to make up her mind
Marze Por Gohar Party | 02-01-04 | SadeghSaleh
By: Setare Kaviyan
For the first time in history an Iranian woman named Shirin Ebadi has been awarded with the Noble Peace Prize. This great accomplishment by Miss Ebadi was the cause of utmost bliss and pride amongst the Iranians. Iranians began seeing a new light of hope with Miss Ebadi’s accomplishment, and they believed that through her, human rights could once again be brought to Iran.
Ms. Ebadi’s record was quite impressive; with being a judge during the previous regime and working diligently on human rights in Iran, particularly on the rights of women and children. With all these qualifications Ms. Ebadi had become the pride of numerous Iranian women all over the world.
Unfortunately, the winds have changed and Ms. Ebadi has brought great disappointment to the Iranian people. The Nobel Prize winner chose to use her victory to relate to Muslim woman as opposed to the Iranian Bahai, Jewish and, Zoroastrian women who are being persecuted specifically for their faith...Miss Ebadi has forgotten the non-Muslim women for whose rights she had fought for many years.
A debatable subject matter about Ms. Ebadi’s acceptance speech was that she first stated that she was not a politician, and that she would continue in her human rights activities in Iran. Ironically at the same time she started to discourage freedom fighters in Iran from taking to the streets and protesting for their rights. When families of political prisoners were protesting in front of the UN she was the one who encouraged them to stop their protests. She has also continuously encouraged the Iranians to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, and as a matter of fact she has stated that if Iranians don’t vote, nothing will change.
The absurdity of such comments can be fully appreciated by simply looking back at all that was achieved by “reformists”, which to put it mildly is – nothing changed. It is widely known that a high voter turn out in the February elections will give Islamic Regime some much needed legitimacy within the international community. Without legitimacy European countries cannot claim that the theocracy is really a democracy.
In the municipal elections of last February the voter turnout was as low as 12%, and a similarly low voter turnout is expected for the parliamentary elections. A low turnout will serve to show the international community once again that the theocratic government does not have the support of the majority of Iranians, and that the lofty notion that the theocracy can be reformed is simply wishful thinking.
Another issue that needs to be considered when discussing voting is the fact that the Iranian president is a reformist as is the majority of parliament. Even so there have been no major changes in the human rights situation in Iran in the past seven years. In fact looking at reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International one can argue that Human rights became almost non-existent since the reformist parliament has come to power. That raises the question: is voting going to make anything better, and how will it benefit the people when it has not done so in the past seven years? Why is Ms. Ebadi encouraging such actions when she herself has experienced the human rights violations taken place in Iran since President Khatami and the reformist parliament have come to power? Why is it that Ms. Ebadi has stated over and over again that she is not a politician and will work only within the Iranian system for human rights, yet at the same time she takes steps which are not only political but also in favor of the Islamic Regime?
Many have argued that because she is in Iran, she cannot speak openly and that she is doing the best she can with the freedoms that she has. That could possibly be an acceptable argument, if only if Ms. Ebadi would refrain from talking about politics and lack of freedom in Iran. But she is doing the opposite by openly making statements that are in fact in support and favor of the Iranian government.
Ms. Ebadi has stated on numerous occasions that President Khatami is the true deserving candidate of Noble Peace Prize. This is quite a ridiculous statement considering Mr. Khatami’s record since he became the president of Iran in 1997 has lacked any positive achievements. His record includes the chain murder of political activists and journalists whose murders were linked to the intelligent services of Iran. How can one forget the student uprising in 1999 when student leaders and hundreds of student activists were arrested? Not only did Mr. Khatami not condemn the arrest of peaceful student activists but also he announced them to be “hoodlums and trouble makers.” The numbers of executions in Iran were the second highest in the world according to Amnesty International in the past two years, and the list goes on. Looking at Mr. Khatami’s record and Ms. Ebadi’s comment, it makes one wonder about her sense of judgment as well as where her loyalty and devotion lies.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner has committed a number of other acts, which have caused many Iranians to question her credibility and sincerity.
For example at the same time when she discussed there should be “no international interference in Iran’s internal affairs” she traveled to France asking Chirac to support the reformist movement. During her acceptance speech she was too engaged in bashing the U.S. policies that she neglected to mention the plight of 4000 students who were arrested for peacefully protesting in the summer of 2003.
Ms Ebadi’s statements and speeches have hindered the movement for freedom whether it is in Iran or abroad. A simple example to cite the influence Ms. Ebadi has can be seen when Richard Armitage of the State Department was quoting Ms. Ebadi. The State Department is supposed to follow the Presidents line, in which this case the President has stated that America stands with the Iranian people. Considering that Iranians no longer want a theocracy, it is rather strange that the State Department is quoting someone who would like to keep the theocracy in place, which is the exact opposite of the wishes of the people of Iran.
Why is it that Ms. Ebadi has stated repeatedly that she is not a politician and will only work for human rights but at the next turn she takes steps which are not only political but in favor of the Islamic Regime and its crimes against humanity. It is rather ironic that a human rights activist is speaking in support of a system of government in which the government declared anti-torture bills illegal. How can she claim to support human rights yet encourage the Iranian people to vote for this treacherous regime, and not to protest against them?
The Iranian people may see and even appreciate Ms. Ebadi as a human rights activist, but that is about as far as their gratefulness will go. She is seen neither as a freedom fighter or an opponent of the regime, because she has chosen to work within the system, not against it.
Perhaps it is best that Ms. Ebadi keeps her word and does not involve herself in politics since she does not possess any experience in that vicinity. It would be wise on her account to stay within her own field of expertise (human rights). Possibly this will be the only way she can succeed in winning the trust, and support of Iranians.
Ms. Ebadi should use her influence in helping the freedom loving people of Iran, rather than aiding the Iranian Regime in torturing them any further.
Nope, not a bit.
IMO, the Iranian Islamic regime allows Ms. Ebadi to lurk around the edges of national politics as a sort of "safety valve". She's tolerated because she is a token reformer, giving hope to those who wish for things to change while simultaneously helping to keep the kettle from boiling over. That's my two cents, anyway.
The following text is her biographical information as presented on the Nobel Committee's website:
Biography
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 defence 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.
****************
There's an article about Ebadi receiving the award on the www.muslimwakeup.com (.org?) page, but you'll want to hold your nose when reading it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.