OSLO, 11 October 2003 — Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, a human rights and democracy activist, won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize yesterday for efforts that include promoting the rights of women and children in Iran and worldwide. She is the first Muslim woman to win the award. “This prize doesn’t belong to me only, it belongs to all people who work for human rights in Iran,” Ebadi said in Paris. She said the call from Oslo saying she had won was a shock “and then I was very happy and glad.”
At a news conference later, Ebadi said that in her view, “there is no difference between Islam and human rights.” “The prize means you can be a Muslim and at the same time have human rights.”
An Iranian government spokesman said the Islamic Republic welcomed the award and hoped that her views “will be taken into consideration both inside and outside the borders of Iran.”
