2003 Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi, who in 2003 became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize, spoke at USD's Jenny Craig Pavillion on the opening day of classes, Thursday, September 7. Speaking as the joint Institute for Peace & Justice Joan B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series and School of Law Jane Ellen Bergman Memorial Lecture Series speaker, Ebadi entitled her well-timed talk: "Iran Awakening: Human Rights, Women and Islam."

Before an estimated crowd of 1,600 members of the USD and greater San Diego communities, Ebadi shared stories about her work as a tireless advocate for peace and justice on behalf of women and children, and those whose basic human rights have been desecrated.

Earlier that day, Ebadi spent an hour with students from USD’s masters in Peace Studies program and law school. Inspired by Ebadi’s commitment to aiding Iranian citizens who have suffered injustices at the hands of their government, students enjoyed a unique opportunity to spend private time with the Nobel laureate. When asked about the inspiration for her work, Ebadi suggested that it was her lawyer father who first introduced her to the field but that as a mother, she recognizes the importance of a just and civil society. Ebadi also feels that it is her divine gift to be a passionate advocate for women and children whose voices are often unheard.

During the lecture, the audience, which included a significant number of Persian community members, learned more about the work of Ebadi’s Center for the Defense of Human Rights which was recently declared illegal by the Iranian government and has been threatened with closure. Ebadi’s work is further threatened by the Iranian government’s recent announcement of plans to purge liberal and secular faculty members from Iran’s universities in a bid to revive the ideals of the Islamic Republic in the 1980s.

Of these government actions, Ebadi says that everything she does is legal and that as long as there are injustices in the Iranian society, she will continue her nonviolent efforts to improve society.