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Nobel laureate speaks out in defence of Islam
Shirin Ebadi tells religious conference that Islam accepts human rights, saying its misinterpretation has led to violence BARCELONA - Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has spoken out against violence and terror at the opening of a world religious conference and defended Islam, saying it was misinterpretation of the faith that has led to violence. Good catch, now letâs hear about some way of changing things. âItâs the misinterpretation of Islam, not Islam itself, that has led to the religious violence and terrible treatment of women that we see in many Islamic countries.â - Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi Ms Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer, is one of more than 7,000 people from various religious backgrounds who have convened in Barcelona this week for the Parliament of the Worldâs Religions, a gathering that aims to discuss the role of religion in world affairs. Barcelona, what a coincidence. âTerror, violence, torture and humiliation of people in any society is something totally unacceptable,â she said during the parliamentâs inaugural ceremony on Wednesday. Fine, whatâs your plan for ending it? âAs a Muslim woman, I declare that Islam is a religion that accepts human rights and has nothing against democracy. Itâs the misinterpretation of Islam, not Islam itself, that has led to the religious violence and terrible treatment of women that we see in many Islamic countries,â she added in an interview later. âMy hope is that people realise that theyâre not the only ones that have the truth; others can also be right. Religious violence takes place only when someone thinks that they are right and all others are wrong. Once we start solving religious-based differences, we start understanding that religions have much in common.â And this explains the death fatwa on apostasy exactly how? Ms Ebadi, a lawyer, writer and professor who has been recognised internationally for her support of womenâs, childrenâs and refugeesâ rights, had harsh words for Western leaders too. âNo country has the right to attack another country under the excuse of human rights. You canât send human rights alongside bombs; human rights can only be achieved through democracy,â she said, alluding to last yearâs US-led invasion of Iraq. Note the complete absence of any plan by her for establishing democracy in Iraq. Merely disapproval for America having done so themselves. Especially telling is this little backhand: "No country has the right to attack another country under the excuse of human rights." How many million Iraqis are not around to protest this farcical statement because they are rotting in mass graves? Her belief that âhuman rights are a common point between all the religions of the worldâ is one of the themes running through the parliament. âItâs our goal to show that the religions of the world, though different from one another, are not antagonistic toward one another,â said Mr William Lesher, the chairman of the parliamentâs council. âWe need to be humble about our past errors and forgiving of the errors of others.â Humble doesnât seem to enter the equation very often in Ms. Ebadiâs neck of the woods. In fact, that seems to be a lot of the problem. Groups of Islamic fanatics with eggshell egos have acquired automatic weapons under the delusion that it makes them an army. In many ways the Arab street is similar to an American black ghetto. Without a constant rage of humiliated seething, life loses its meaning. Interchange whiteman or Jew as needed. Bill Cosby did all of America (black and white alike) a big favor when he delineated exactly why modern black youth are rushing headlong into a social dead end. It is this same sort of admonitory voice that is desperately needed in the Arab world. Few examples spring to mind of more moderate Muslims who are willing to take extremists to task. While that is easily attributable to sensationalist media, the hugely imbalanced quotient of violent Arab and Islamic males still commands attention. Ms Ebadi is a founder of Iranâs Society of Defenders of Human Rights and has spent time in prison for her activities. She was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. The parliament is organised around a series of workshops and discussion sessions where representatives from world religions talk about issues like refugees, Aids and peaceful solutions to international conflicts. Participants include Christian theologian Hans Kung and Muslim leader Tariq Ramadan. -- AP Itâs amazing how this woman is able to reconcile the following: âNo country has the right to attack another country under the excuse of human rights.â and: âhuman rights are a common point between all the religions of the worldâ Words almost fail me to see see this sort of surrealistic drivel hawked off as a bold statement when it remains uncontaminated by the remotest hint of solutions, plans or proposals to address the problem. Posted by: Zenster 2004-07-09 |
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