Who is She?
Shirin Ebadi is an activist for women’s rights in Iran. When she was growing up, her country was ruled by the Shah, the last monarch of Iran, who had been put in place by the US government. Although he was known for imprisoning those who disagreed with his rulings, he had a pretty liberal approach to the way women were treated. In 1979, the people revolted against the Shah and opted for Islamic law through the Ayatollah.
What did She do?
When women in Iran began losing their rights under the rule of Ayatollah Khomenei’s fundamentalist form of Islam, Shirin Ebadi took notice. She had lost her position as Iran’s first female judge because women were suddenly deemed incapable of doing the job. When she was finally allowed to practice law again in 1993, she used her private practice to defend those who could not defend themselves: women and children. Her work brought international attention to Iran’s unjust laws and in 2003, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
Why does She matter?
When Ebadi won the Nobel Prize, women in Iran had proof that they had global support for and awareness of their struggle. Shirin Ebadi intentionally works from inside the system to break it down. She has seen what outside interference did to her country and knows that Iran must find its own solutions.
