It is important to take the current political situation [NYT] in Iran in context. Shirin Ebadi and Azar Nafisi are two women who have written memoirs (Iran Awakening and Reading Lolita in Tehran, respectively) dealing with being a woman in the world's only theocracy. (bugmenot) Individual Iranians both commend and disagree with their portrayal of Iran to Western audiences.
posted by grapefruitmoon on May 28, 2006 - 12 comments

The World Social Forum, the grassroots answer to the World Economic Forum, just ended in Mumbai, India. Speakers included Nobel laureates Shirin Ebadi and Joseph Stiglitz (who got the most applause), and the always provocative writer Arundhati Roy. [More Inside.]
posted by homunculus on Jan 24, 2004 - 9 comments

Shirin Ebadi wins Nobel Peace Prize Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2003. Ebadi is Iran's first female judge and a leading figure in the struggle for women's and children's rights in Iran. She is known for representing the interests of persecuted individuals and has braved reprisals for her beliefs.
posted by dagny on Oct 10, 2003 - 8 comments