An Evening With Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi

When TIME Magazine named 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi as one of their 2004 ‘TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World’, they rightfully noted that Dr. Ebadi was indeed “a woman of steel” and a human rights champion with “a heart of gold”.

On October 10, 2003, Dr. Shrin Ebadi became the first Muslim woman (and first Iranian citizen) to be awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. In giving her the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, the committee members in Oslo noted her special dedication for “the rights of women and children” around the world.

Furthermore, the Nobel committee noted that Dr. Ebadi “has consistently supported non-violence” and as opposed to military armed conflict, she also “favors enlightenment and dialogue as the best path to changing attitudes and resolving conflict” around the world.

To the pleasure of us Washingtonians, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shrin Ebadi was in Washington last night (October 14, 2009) to receive the 3rd annual ‘Human Security Award’ sponsored by the Muslim Public Affairs Council Foundation.

At an exclusively-private dinner reception of nearly 40 journalists, members of Congress, ambassadors and other dignitaries at the suburban DC uber-mansion of Pakistani Ambassador-At-Large Raffat Mahmood, Dr. Ebadi graciously accepted her award that evening and gave us her current thoughts on Islam, democracy, human rights and the infamous ‘clash of civilizations’ theory.

Although a physically tiny (and adorable) little woman, the audience was in awe of the first Muslim woman lionness who was the first-ever female to serve as a judge in the hard-core theocratic state of Iran.

2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi (10/14/2009 in Washington DC) Courtesy of Arsalan Iftikhar

In speaking to our small audience of journalists, congresspersons and diplomats, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shirin Ebadi began her remarks to us that evening (through her Farsi translator) by saying: “For a few years now, the question has constantly been raised as to whether Islam can indeed be compatible with human rights standards and democracy…This question came as a result of the theory developed by Samuel Huntington and the ‘clash of civilizations’ which basically questioned the compatibility between mainly Muslim civilizations and Western civilizations based on the flawed argument that because human rights and democracy were ‘born’ in the West, that this is not possible at all in the Muslim world…”

“This theory is incorrect both historically and if you look at it logically,” continued Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. After further discussing the ‘clash of civilizations theory’, Dr. Ebadi then shifted the focus of her talk on the responsibility of us 1.57 billion global Muslims living in the millenial age today.

“We must educate the true teachings of Islam to the world, especially the West,” continued Dr. Ebadi.

“We must provide a cure for the wounds that were created in the West by the Taliban and the tragic events of September 11…And to embark on that process we must review the true compassionate teachings of Islam…And we can begin to do that by looking within ourselves…”

Speaking to our diverse Washington audience of American Muslim, Christian, Jewish and citizens of all other faiths and colors, Dr. Ebadi then went onto highlight our shared commonalities as members of one single human family.

She highlighted the fact that it was imperative on global Muslims “to extend a hand of friendship to all non-Muslims” and that we must “extend our communities to include others” of all other religions and races around the world today.

“The Abrahamic religions, meaning Christianity, Judaism and Islam, all have common roots…”

“Now, how come is it that no one ever approaches us to ask whether Judaism or Christianity are compatible with human rights or not? But Islam is always brought up in this [pejorative] way…” continued Dr. Ebadi.

Since the three major Abrahamic religions again share the same religious origin, Dr. Ebadi believes that we should “always start from those commonalities and leave the [theological] differences aside…”

“Let us be giving like the skies…” she said in her concluding remarks to us that evening.

“Let us spread friendship as the wind…Let us rage like fire against ignorance and against prejudice…Let us sow the seeds of cooperation like the earth…”

Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the legendary Muslim women human rights lawyer and deserving winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize ended her moving address to us that evening in October 2009 with one simple sentence:

“Let us be kind to one another…Kind…”