Shirin Ebadi The fight for Human Rights in the Middle East

The fight for human rights has been a lengthy struggle around the world. Many people in the Islamic state of Iran, particularly women and children, have suffered through a life long battle of the government limiting their natural rights, such as freedom and equality, due to religious traditions colliding with the state. Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, is a courageous, kind-hearted woman who was determined to help the people of her country gain their freedoms. Although Shirin Ebadi is widely known for her fight for the justice of women and children, a few critics have considered Ebadi’s efforts as small or limited in shaping reform; however, Ebadi fought her hardest for the†¦show more content†¦Ebadi says in a 2004 Interview, â€Å"You 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. The testimony of two women is equal to that of one man. Any woman who wishes to travel needs the written permission of her husband. And the number of unemployed women is four times that of men†¦the dominant culture is going to insist on an interpretation of religion that happens to favor† (Shirin Ebadi, Interview with Amitabh Pal, The Progressive). Ebadi was furious with the state that women were put in because it was clear that these men in positions of high power used their own interpretations to justify what they wanted. As a female and human rights activist in Iran, Shrin Ebadi knew she had to help women and other groups of oppressed people, including children, students and journalists. Although Ebadi lost her job as a judge, she did not give up, and eventually obtained her lawyers license. Ebadi worked as a pro bono lawyer for many families, women, and dissidents in Iran. (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Ebadi’s says in her famous quote, â€Å"I’d rather be a free Iranian than an enslaved attorney† (Sector, A Dissenting Voice). Ebadi worked as a lawyer to help the people of her country become free, as well as herself. Iran did not have a Freedom of Speech Law, therefore Ebadi defended journalists