Shirin Ebadi: It's not just about hope and ideas. It's about action.

There is no "true Islam," just different interpretations.

Shirin Ebadi

different-interpretations islam different

Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. Arbitrary detention, torture and discrimination hurt the human dignity of anybody, whatever his or her country of origin, religion, descent, or any other ground.

Shirin Ebadi

hurt rights country

Unfortunately, violence begets violence. And this is how the war on terrorism seems to be going at this juncture. A lot of people are losing their lives. Many children are losing their parents. Too many houses are being destroyed. And, unfortunately, the arms industry seems to flourish.

Shirin Ebadi

war children people

What is important is that one utilizes one's intellect and not to be 100 percent sure about one's convictions. One should always leave room for doubt.

Shirin Ebadi

important doubt rooms

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

iran voice people

My aim is to show that those governments that violate the rights of people by invoking the name of Islam have been misusing Islam.

Shirin Ebadi

government rights names

Fear is a human instinct, just like hunger. Whether you like it or not, you become hungry. Similarly with fear. But I have learned to train myself to live with the fear.

Shirin Ebadi

hungry hunger you-like-it

The idea of cultural relativism is nothing but an excuse to violate human rights. Human rights is the fruit of various civilizations. 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

human-rights violence people

There is no "true Islam," just different interpretations. Since I brought up patriarchy, let me make one thing clear. I am not singling out men; I am addressing the issue of inequality of genders. A patriarchy does not only not accept the equality of the sexes, it also has a hard time understanding the principles of democracy and its essence. Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers. Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother's home. This is the culture we need to resist and fight.

Shirin Ebadi

fighting home men

Everyone's condition is different, and the way that each person lives his or her life is different.

Shirin Ebadi

different life-is way

Sixty-three percent of our university students are female. But you still see violations of women's rights in Iran. A Muslim man can have up to four wives. He can divorce his wife without offering any reason, while it is quite difficult for a woman to get a divorce.

Shirin Ebadi

divorce rights men

Any person who pursues human rights in Iran must live with fear from birth to death, but I have learned to overcome my fear.

Shirin Ebadi

iran rights overcoming

We must acquaint the youth to the realities of the world... we must tell them that millions of people around the world have no access to drinking water.

Shirin Ebadi

drinking reality people

Maybe the words are the same, but the time is not the same. Iranians weren't working on achieving nuclear energy.

Shirin Ebadi

achieve energy

I have never been convinced throughout my life that one needs to be imitating others. I even tell my daughters not to look at me as a model.

Shirin Ebadi

imitating-others daughter looks

Lawyers should not be charged with the same crimes as their clients. Trials related to political charges are not in accordance with human rights.

Shirin Ebadi

political trials rights

I have never had a governmental position, and I will never accept such a position.

Shirin Ebadi

position accepting

While living in exile I have become the loudspeaker for the people of Iran.

Shirin Ebadi

exile iran people

In my memoir, I wanted to introduce American women to Iranian women and our lives. I'm not from the highest echelons of society, nor the lowest. I'm a woman who is a lawyer, who is a professor at a university, who won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the same time, I cook. And even when I'm about to go to prison, one of the first things I do is to make enough food and put it in the fridge for my family.

Shirin Ebadi

lawyer prison firsts

I have said many times that I wish there was no oil in the Middle East, and more water. People would have been much happier than they are right now.

Shirin Ebadi

oil water people