I am the voice of the people in Iran whose voices are silent and whose demands cannot be heard by the rest of the world. Shirin Ebadi More Quotes by Shirin Ebadi More Quotes From Shirin Ebadi The most important problem in Iran is that the courts have lost their independence, and they are under the influence of the Ministry of Intelligence and their people. This is why we witness a number of journalists and human rights activists, my colleagues, and a number of feminists, in prison. Shirin Ebadi iranrightsnumbers The government of Iran claims that every two years there are elections. But none of them are free. Shirin Ebadi irangovernmentyears Islam is not an excuse for thwarting democracy. Shirin Ebadi islamexcusedemocracy The people of Iran have been battling against consecutive conflicts between tradition and modernity for over 100 years... some have tried and are trying to see the world through the eyes of their predecessors and to deal with the problems and difficulties of the existing world by virtue of the values of the ancients... many others...seek to go forth in step with world developments and not lag behind the caravan of civilization, development and progress. Shirin Ebadi iraneyeyears When you vote, vote for those who are not warmongers, and vote for those who respect human rights. When you see a president who doesn't respect human rights, don't vote for that person. Shirin Ebadi votepresidentrights We shouldn't just consider the desire of government to do what it wants to do. We should always consider the resistance of people. The culture of Iranian people doesn't let the government drag people into deep trouble or backlash. Maybe government wants it, but the culture doesn't let it go on. Shirin Ebadi let-it-gogovernmentpeople Usually, in any revolution people are focused on who wants to have the most power. But the most important thing is the laws that are written during that time. Shirin Ebadi importantlawpeople The younger generation is essentially idealistic. This applies to the Iranian youth as well. In addition, the youth in Iran face certain difficulties... the Iranian youth need more freedom. They are struggling for more freedom and democracy. This commands great respect. Shirin Ebadi irandemocracystruggle When a person is humiliated, when his rights are being violated, and he does not have the proper education, naturally he gravitates toward terrorism. Shirin Ebadi terrorismrightsdoe The Iranian government intends to use the nuclear program for peaceful purposes, but must convince international public opinion of that. Shirin Ebadi governmentlovepeace Some criticize me, thinking I'm too tolerant of the clerical regime in Iran. In response, I have to say, I have served time in prison, I have lost my position [as a judge]. Do I need to prove that I am brave? Do I need to be killed? Shirin Ebadi iranjudgingthinking Human rights is the fruit of various civilizations. Shirin Ebadi fruitrightscivilization The people are fed up with corruption and embezzlement. They object to censorship. The first thing that the people of Iran want is free elections. Shirin Ebadi iranwantpeople I want to take my American friends back to the end of World War II, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was formulated. A group of thinkers met to come up with ways and means to prevent yet another war. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt played a crucial role in assembling this group of people. And that is why the name of the United States is synonymous with the cause of human rights around the world. Shirin Ebadi rightswarmean I hope the example of Saddam Hussein will give a lesson to leaders of other countries where human rights are not respected. Shirin Ebadi rightsgivingcountry My hopes for Iran's future lies with women first and foremost. Iran's feminist movement is very strong. This movement has no leader or head quarters. Its place is the home of every Iranian who believes in equal rights. This is currently the strongest women's movement in the Middle East. Shirin Ebadi strongbelievelying I have never agreed with President Bush's argument regarding the axis of evil. Unfortunately, fundamentalists in Iran have used this as an excuse to brand us as allies of Mr. Bush. Shirin Ebadi axesiranevil Terrorism is based on two major pillars: One is injustice, and the other is a certainty of attitude, the notion that their version of the story is the correct one. Shirin Ebadi storiesattitudetwo I know of no civilization that tolerates or justifies violence, terrorism, or injustice. There is no civilization that justifies the killing of innocent people. Those who are invoking cultural relativism are really using that as an excuse for violating human rights and to put a cultural mask on the face of what they're doing. Shirin Ebadi rightscivilizationpeople Every time I am fearful I think to myself, the reason they do this is to discourage me from doing what I do. Hence, if I discontinue my work I will have succumbed to my fears. Shirin Ebadi discouragingreasonthinking
