DUBAI (Al Arabiya)
As American President Barack Obama was winning a Nobel Peace Prize, an Iranian Nobel winner was speaking at a U.S. university where she explained human rights and Islam are compatible and argued discrimination in Muslim countries was based on misinterpretations of Islam's holy book.
Dr. Shirin Ebadi spoke to an audience of five hundred people at Naropa University on Friday to answer questions about Islam and human rights, discrimination against women and whether Muslims would be best to "promote human rights through a secular state," Denver's The Examiner quoted her as saying.
" There’s no money in it. But what comes is an inner satisfaction so when I go to bed at night I feel peaceful " Dr Shirin Ebadi Ebadi argued that Islam, like other religions, is open to interpretation and is compatible with human and women rights. She cited examples of Muslim countries who have banned torture and others who have female leaders.
The Noble winner, however, acknowledged the discrimination that takes place in Muslim countries but stressed "that the root of discrimination lies not in Islam but in the way male leaders distort it to remain in power."
She cited examples of leaders who distorted interpretations of the Quran after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 to create laws to disempower women causing her to loose her position as a judge.
Ebadi also argued that the current "polarization between the Middle East and West has caused Muslims to rally around their Islamic identity" and said that, instead of arguing for a secular state, progress could be achieved through more correct interpretations of the Quran.
Ebadi is currently involved in creating institutions "to interpret the Quran in a way that respects human and women's rights" with other Muslim women such as the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality. Both associations are headed by Daisy Khan, a Muslim Kashmiri who lives in the U.S.
Ebadi urged people "to go beyond our fears to understand that the Taliban and al-Qaeda do not speak for the majority of Muslims."
When asked about becoming a human rights attorney Ebadi laughed.
“There’s no money in it. But what comes is an inner satisfaction so when I go to bed at night I feel peaceful, "she answered. |
