Last Friday I went to hear a keynote address from Iran's only Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Shirin Ebadi. I was blown away.
Dr. Ebadi is a human rights lawyer who used the 2003 Nobel Prize money to start the recently shut down Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran. She has worked tirelessly to promote the status of Iranian women, with the highly successful One Million Signatures Campaign, and to challenge the legitimacy of the 2009 Iranian election results and subsequent crackdown on protesters demanding political reform.
On October 9th Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, I sat amongst a sold-out crowd and, on the edge of my seat, listened to Iran's most prominent voice for peace.
Dr. Ebadi wasted no time, her message was clear: In order to achieve peace with the Middle East we must work toward cross-cultural understanding, prioritize the issue of human rights in formal negotiations, and most important, not be paralyzed by action from fear and hate.
With the poise of a university professor, Dr. Ebadi schooled the crowd on the emergence of modern anti-Islamic rhetoric, citing the misguided and politically influential essay "Clash of Civilizations" published in 1993 by the late Samuel Huntington. According to Huntington, human rights and democracy are fundamentally unattainable in Islamic states and therefore a clash between Islam and the West is inevitable.
It is no coincidence, said Ebadi, that with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War came the creation of a new enemy in Islam. She reminded us that before the early 90's, Islamic factions were militarily and financially propped up by the U.S. as allies in the fight against the spread of Communism (the Taliban, for example, were given resources and training to combat the Russian invasion of Afghanistan). Until recently, no one questioned whether or not human rights and democracy were compatible with Islam.
She brilliantly pointed out that in addition to Neo-Conservatives in the United States (Huntington's theories carried great weight with Paul Wolfowitz and Condoleezza Rice), there is a second group that supports the claim that human rights and Islam are irreconcilable ... the Non-Democratic Islamic States themselves.
Ebadi bravely declared that such States, including Iran, "hide behind the shield of Islam to justify the repression of their people in the name of Islam, and that those in power interpret Islamic law in a manner that guarantees their continued power."
Dr. Ebadi made no secret of the fact that human rights violations in Iran are severe, citing examples of laws that place the value of a woman's life as half that of a man, as well as the persecution of Iranians that practice the Bahá'à faith.
In an uncompromising stance, Dr. Ebadi demonstrated how the divide between the West and Islam has been deliberately fueled to support interests on both sides: Western powers equating radical acts of terrorism by extremists such as Al-Qaeda with the beliefs of all Muslims; Non-Democratic Islamic States refusing to recognize The Universal Declaration of Human Rights or entertain progressive interpretations of Islamic Sharia law.
So how do we cross this seemingly impassable divide? With increased understanding and courage, says Ebadi.
We must look to the examples of Islamic States that have promoted rights and democracy, such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh who have all elected women to their highest political positions; or Morocco, Algeria and Malaysia (along with many other Islamic states) that have abolished harsh physical punishments such as stoning or amputation, still practiced in Iran. Such examples demonstrate that Islam does not have a single interpretation, nor can it be considered a single foe.
Simply rephrased by Ebadi, "it is the dictators that are opposed to human rights, not Islam."
One-sixth of the world's population is Muslim, belonging to a culture that is primarily based on the principles of peace and tranquility. As Dr. Ebadi spoke, I thought of all the human rights movements in history that have overcome great injustices (e.g. Anti-Apartheid, Satyagraha), and how we in the audience were witnessing one of history's bravest voices calling all of us to act. It sent chills up my spine.
As citizens of the West we must listen to and encourage progressive Muslim voices and not let fear-mongering from either side solidify our views on the ability for Islam and the West to find peace.
As Dr. Ebadi stated, "All religions practice and preach the same message, the message of peace. We have many commonalities, so let us begin with our commonalities. Wars and divisive actions only add to our problems. Psychology tells us that when we do not understand something, we become afraid of it...and once that fear is instilled in us, it develops into a hate for the source of that insecurity."
When asked if she is ever afraid, she responded honestly saying, "I am glad to be alive to speak to you all today. I have been threatened to death on numerous occasions and have come across evidence that my murder has been ordered by the Iranian Intelligence Minister. But fear is an instinct, just like hunger. Without desiring to, we become hungry. When in a dangerous situation, without willing it, we become afraid. So yes, I am afraid. But having worked for many years towards human rights, I have learned to control my fear and will not allow it to interfere with my work."
She left us with a special message for US President Barack Obama, awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize that same morning, saying "I hope that this award will increase his commitment to building international peace. With respect to my country, Iran, I hope that in negotiations he does not only focus on the nuclear issue, but also on the need for human rights and Democracy."
I walked away from Dr. Ebadi's speech, which opened a symposium on Women's Leadership and Activism in The Muslim World, emboldened and optimistic about the possibility of reform in Iran and the end of destructive wars between the West and the Middle East.
I hope President Obama is listening to his fellow Peace Laureate. I hope we can all take Shirin Ebadi's wisdom and apply it to our own analysis of the current discord between the West and the Islamic world ... refusing all the while to let our fears turn into hate and paralyze us from compassionate action.
Truthfully,
Kiri Westby
Change-Maker/Rule-Breaker/Story-Teller
Featured in Ed and Deb Shapiro's new book, BE THE CHANGE, How Meditation Can Transform You And The World, with forewords by HH Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman.
Follow Kiri Westby on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chani007
Just knowing that such things existed in our own cultural history should make us more wary when they turn up in other cultures. After everything I described above - not to mention the Burning Times, the 400 year period during which witchcraft was used as an excuse to burn millions of people and if you had an enemy you knew a witch - we should be able to see what's going on in Islam for what it really is. And what's really going on is all too common in American Christianity - the guy with the loudest voice, no matter how stupid he is, or how far away from what the majority believe he is, will be viewed as the definer of the standards of the religion, or whatever cause he is shilling.
But there is something we should hate. Our culture is turning that hate on an innocent source and not the real cause of the trouble - those who use God as a weapon of fear and intimidation to obtain dominance over others. We are all the sons and daughters of God, and stripping any of us in the world of their human rights is an attack
Adversity is increasing rapidly in the world. For every voice of reason there are hundreds of those who blame, accuse and threaten, rending deep divisions among humans in and between every country. What underlies the beligerance? I think it is a fear of falling. Everyone seems to be trying to hang onto a secure rock of political, social and cultural view as their very ground of solid belief constantly slips away.
Yet, even those few voices of reason and courage, such as that of Dr. Ebadi, when proclaimed so directly, are like a powerful lion's roar, dispelling the chaos of fear. Is Dr. Ebadi afraid? Yes. Does she give in to fear? Absolutely not. By facing fear, by knowing fear, she goes beyond fear. She is now the voice of fearlessness, hundreds of times more powerful than those weak, insipid voices of fear.
Thank you so much for covering and reporting on such a remarkable personage.
JB
Great and thoughtful comment.
Thanks,
Ed
Thank you, Kiri, for your work in bringing her thoughts to us.
In addition to her work, take a look at Nader Hashemi's recent book on Islamic Democracy and Secularism. It is very academic, but brilliant. He echos powerfully and intellectually many of Ebadi's proven points.
http://www.naderhashemi.com/
This is what Dr. Ebadi is talking about, cultural sharing that promotes understanding as a solution to violent thoughts and actions.
You rock!
Kiri
Iraq was almost destroyed while Ahganistan seems to be in perpectual wars and conflicts. I hope one day to see a US not involved in an unnecessary war or conflict and a President who balance his decisions with compassion..
Well said...I hope for the same thing!
Towards Peace,
Kiri
Dr Ebadi truly lives an inspiring life. I admire her courage in the face to death threats and the natural fear she feel. Yet she continues working for peace and justice. I don't know if she and all the other wonderful people working for peace and cross cultural understanding can overcome the deliberate ignorance of a great part of the population. I do know that without the effort, we'll have no hope. A decade ago I was stationed in Turkey. While there I made many friends in the local community. Even in the midst of Islamic culture, other G.I.s remained racist and mocked the locals and thier religion. I still don't understand why people need to hate each other when they don't even know one another. I love reading your blogs, don't stop.
Best wishes,
little brother
I wish I could have included all the incredible stuff she said...I could write four blogs just from her one speech. I hope I captured the essence of her message.
You're fantastic,
Kiri
Thank you so much for this, and for your own insight and courage.
More please!
Onward
Deb
Since I saw Dr. Ebadi speak, I have been waking up more acutely aware of all the privilege and freedoms I have...more inspired to work for change than ever!
I hope this blog offers a glimpse of that to my readers.
Towards Peace,
Kiri
If Kiri's piece does not get you to stop characterizing entire peoples, not even for a moment, then I doubt anything will.
http://www.bibijon.org/iranimage/
Many people in the West, without intending any harm, have an image in their minds when they think of life in Iran...like Dr. Ebadi said, it is understandable that fear and misrepresentation from the Western media have turned into widespread assumptions about Iranians...which is what breeds hate. I am sure Deb did not mean any harm either, and that she herself can appreciate you pointing out underlying biases that many folks share.
I checked out the website you linked to and want to commend you for promoting the kind of cross-cultural understanding that we need in order to sew the seeds of peace.
Keep up the good work,
Kiri