The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to an Iranian lawyer is another bone of contention between reformists and hard-liners in the Islamic Republic. Mustafa El-Labbad reports The announcement that Iranian lawyer Shireen Abadi is the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize came as a surprise. An unlikely alliance of hard-line Iranian Shi'ite and Central European Catholics reacted negatively to the decision. Former Polish President Lech Walesa, a previous winner of the prize, said "I have nothing against women but Pope John Paul was the one who really deserved it." In Iran, public opinion was sharply divided between reformists, who generally were pleased by Abadi's choice, and the conservatives resentful of the public attention focused on human rights in Iran. However, even many Iranian reformists in Iran believed that Hashem Aghajari, the symbol of the reformist movement in Iran who is now in detention for defying the religious authorities, would have been a better choice. The Nobel Committee members, justifying their selection, said in a statement: "Abadi represents the face of moderate Islam and her interpretation conforms to democratic values and equality before the law." The statement added that Abadi was a supporter of those who sought to freely practice their religion, especially in the oppressed Bahai community. She is, the statement continued, a defender of "victims of the system" which relies on its rigid misinterpretation of Islam. Perhaps this reasoning best explains why Abadi was chosen, becoming the first Muslim woman to win the peace prize. She enjoys the support of the Bahai lobby, which is outlawed in Iran. The award is a public embarrassment to the Iranian regime, especially the hard- line factions who control the decision- making process, by shedding light on the plight of women and religious minorities in Iran. The head of the Nobel Committee, Ole Daubolt Mjoes, said following the announcement that "this is a message for the people of Iran, the Muslim world and the world as a whole, that human values and defending freedom and women's and children's rights should be at the forefront." Abadi, 56, is a lawyer and professor at Tehran University. She was chief justice of Tehran's courts from 1975 to 1979, during the reign of the former shah who gave Abadi, then only 28, the opportunity to take over such a high- level post in order to polish up the image of his rule in the West. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, she was prevented from practicing law. She has since written three books on human rights in Iran: The Rights of the Child, A Study of Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran, and History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran. Following the surprise announcement, Abadi appeared at a press conference in Paris, with her head defiantly uncovered, and told Le Monde: "The revolution's time has come and passed. Iranians are dejected by the 1979 revolution. The law on Islamic punishment should be replaced with a modern set of rules as has happened in all democracies." One leading reformist, Vice President Mohamed Ali Abtahi, said "I'm extremely encouraged that Abadi has won because she gives us hope that the justice system will be changed." Even Iranian government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh, whose democratically-elected government is in conflict with the conservative factions which seeks to strip Abadi of her constitutional rights, congratulated Abadi, saying: "We hope that Ms Abadi's views will be given more importance at home and abroad." The Iranian media reaction was divided according to their loyalties to the reformists or conservatives. Amir Mohebian, editor-in-chief of the newspaper The Governorate's Message, wrote: "Perhaps we are happy that an Iranian has won the prize but the award has a message therein: that Europe will continue to pressure Iran on the issue of human rights." Hamid Reza Taraqi, a prominent hard-liner in Iran, said the prize is a boost for the secularist movement which runs counter to the Islamic Revolution. The chief editor of Entekhab, Taha Hashemi, said he believed the award had "purposes as yet unannounced". Official state-run TV and radio broke the news late, six hours after the announcement was made, and only gave it brief coverage. While most conservative newspapers contented themselves with a fairly tepid reaction, Jomhuri-e-islami argued in its article "The West gives Abadi the Nobel Peace Prize" that the lawyer should be put on trial for contacts with anti- government organisations abroad, under the pretext of defending human rights. However, other right-wing newspapers touted Abadi's achievement as a source of pride for Iran, with the Iran News highlighting Abadi's statements that the award was earned by all defenders of freedom and democracy in Iran. There is a widespread suspicion in Iran that the award was motivated by a hidden political agenda. The timing of the award coincided with the increased international pressure brought to bear on Iran, on issues ranging from accusations of allowing guerrillas to infiltrate into Iraq and alleged Al-Qa'eda connections to its nuclear development programme. And now, with the peace prize, will come a renewed emphasis on Iran's patchy human rights record. This is to ready world public opinion to the anticipated future reworking of the Iranian regime and the political system. On the other hand, these negative aspects should not be an excuse to absolve the extremist camp in Iran of their responsibilities. That the pressure on Iran is led by the Bush and Blair governments should not prevent us from criticising its record on human rights, whether for women or racial and religious minorities. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a female Iranian reformist, while hard-liners on both sides will try to use it to further radicalise their policies, is also a chance for the renewal of internal reform in Iran.
