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Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Important Figure to Iranians Worldwide

Aired October 10, 2003 - 13:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner says freedom is the most urgent issue in her country. Lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi is the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian ever to receive the award. CNN Headline News correspondent Asieh Namdar joins us now with more on this absolutely remarkable woman. You got to give us some background. This shocked everybody.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: By the way, you've done good job with the pronunciation. I can tell you've been practicing. So good job.

PHILLIPS: You teach me well.

NAMDAR: Oh, thank you.

Well this is an incredible story, Kyra, not because she is the first Iranian woman ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but because nobody really had expected her to win. You know the contenders were Pope John Paul II, you know the president of Czechoslovakia (sic), Vaclav Havel. So it came as a huge surprise, not just to the international community, but to here as well.

She is a human rights activist, she's a lawyer, she's one of the first Iranian judges the country has had. She's a university professor, she's an incredible person who's committed her entire life in Iran to helping people who have been jailed, which she would argue unjustly and get them out. And when the revolution happened, she stayed in the country. She wasn't one of those people who actually left to get out of the revolution. She stayed there to help Iranians.

PHILLIPS: I know you've got a personal perspective here. You grew up in Iran, you're a female, you worked hard to get to be where you are now. Give me your reaction, you know what a fight it is as a female.

NAMDAR: I can tell you. I had goose bumps this morning. I was actually taking a shower and my husband, Larry, had the television on and then an Iranian accent and then I heard Carol Lin say something about the Nobel Peace Prize.

I ran out of the shower. I said to my husband, I said, What was that? I couldn't even get the words out. I said, Did she win? And Larry was like, If you'd just be quiet, perhaps we could listen and we'll see what happened. I was stunned, excited. The feeling of pride for not just me but other Iranians in the country, around the world, it's an incredible feeling just to be associated with something good and positive and not necessarily the bad stuff. You know, terrorism. Something actually good.

PHILLIPS: What a statement. I mean, what does this say to the U.S.? What does it say to Iran? What does it say to just everything taking place internationally? There has been a lot of controversy involving Iran.

NAMDAR: Right. And I wonder in picking her if some of that did play a role. What I found interesting, Kyra, is when she talked to reporters in Paris today -- she was in Paris to attend a conference. She did not wear the traditional hejab, which it's called in Iran.

And under Islamic law, when you travel or when you're in Iran, you're supposed to cover her hair. So we talked to reporters -- I mean if we have pictures of that, I would love to see it. She talked to reporters, she did not have the head scarf.

And I think that was a very clear message to the Iranian government that you have to promote democracy, you have to promote freedom of speech, you have to allow people to have certain freedoms.

PHILLIPS: So this is -- you think this was the beginning of something here?

NAMDAR: I don't know, I think it's hard to tell. I think it depends on a lot of things. What will the reaction be out of Iran?

PHILLIPS: What is the reaction?

NAMDAR: Well, it's confusion. A couple hours ago when this first happened, first of all, the state media did not make a whole lot of fuss about this for a couple hours. And when they did say something it was one line, one statement, considering she is the first Iranian ever to win the Nobel Peace Price. To say the reaction was understated would be putting it mildly.

And the government, at first, an aide to the President Khatami, who's known as a reformer, came out and issued a statement and said, We're happy for her, we think it is a good thing. Then turned around and said, Oops, that was my opinion and not the official reaction.

PHILLIPS: Interesting.

(CROSSTALK)

NAMDAR: It's a great story.

PHILLIPS: Asieh Namdar, terrific to have you with us.

NAMDAR: Well thank you so much for having me.

PHILLIPS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Wolf Blitzer at 5 p.m. I'm told you're going to be on that show also, so...

NAMDAR: I am? News to me.

PHILLIPS: There you go. The actual winner, also, is going to be on there. We are told that Shirin Ebadi will be with Wolf Blitzer at 5 p.m.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




to Iranians Worldwide>


Aired October 10, 2003 - 13:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner says freedom is the most urgent issue in her country. Lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi is the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian ever to receive the award. CNN Headline News correspondent Asieh Namdar joins us now with more on this absolutely remarkable woman. You got to give us some background. This shocked everybody.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: By the way, you've done good job with the pronunciation. I can tell you've been practicing. So good job.

PHILLIPS: You teach me well.

NAMDAR: Oh, thank you.

Well this is an incredible story, Kyra, not because she is the first Iranian woman ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but because nobody really had expected her to win. You know the contenders were Pope John Paul II, you know the president of Czechoslovakia (sic), Vaclav Havel. So it came as a huge surprise, not just to the international community, but to here as well.

She is a human rights activist, she's a lawyer, she's one of the first Iranian judges the country has had. She's a university professor, she's an incredible person who's committed her entire life in Iran to helping people who have been jailed, which she would argue unjustly and get them out. And when the revolution happened, she stayed in the country. She wasn't one of those people who actually left to get out of the revolution. She stayed there to help Iranians.

PHILLIPS: I know you've got a personal perspective here. You grew up in Iran, you're a female, you worked hard to get to be where you are now. Give me your reaction, you know what a fight it is as a female.

NAMDAR: I can tell you. I had goose bumps this morning. I was actually taking a shower and my husband, Larry, had the television on and then an Iranian accent and then I heard Carol Lin say something about the Nobel Peace Prize.

I ran out of the shower. I said to my husband, I said, What was that? I couldn't even get the words out. I said, Did she win? And Larry was like, If you'd just be quiet, perhaps we could listen and we'll see what happened. I was stunned, excited. The feeling of pride for not just me but other Iranians in the country, around the world, it's an incredible feeling just to be associated with something good and positive and not necessarily the bad stuff. You know, terrorism. Something actually good.

PHILLIPS: What a statement. I mean, what does this say to the U.S.? What does it say to Iran? What does it say to just everything taking place internationally? There has been a lot of controversy involving Iran.

NAMDAR: Right. And I wonder in picking her if some of that did play a role. What I found interesting, Kyra, is when she talked to reporters in Paris today -- she was in Paris to attend a conference. She did not wear the traditional hejab, which it's called in Iran.

And under Islamic law, when you travel or when you're in Iran, you're supposed to cover her hair. So we talked to reporters -- I mean if we have pictures of that, I would love to see it. She talked to reporters, she did not have the head scarf.

And I think that was a very clear message to the Iranian government that you have to promote democracy, you have to promote freedom of speech, you have to allow people to have certain freedoms.

PHILLIPS: So this is -- you think this was the beginning of something here?

NAMDAR: I don't know, I think it's hard to tell. I think it depends on a lot of things. What will the reaction be out of Iran?

PHILLIPS: What is the reaction?

NAMDAR: Well, it's confusion. A couple hours ago when this first happened, first of all, the state media did not make a whole lot of fuss about this for a couple hours. And when they did say something it was one line, one statement, considering she is the first Iranian ever to win the Nobel Peace Price. To say the reaction was understated would be putting it mildly.

And the government, at first, an aide to the President Khatami, who's known as a reformer, came out and issued a statement and said, We're happy for her, we think it is a good thing. Then turned around and said, Oops, that was my opinion and not the official reaction.

PHILLIPS: Interesting.

(CROSSTALK)

NAMDAR: It's a great story.

PHILLIPS: Asieh Namdar, terrific to have you with us.

NAMDAR: Well thank you so much for having me.

PHILLIPS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Wolf Blitzer at 5 p.m. I'm told you're going to be on that show also, so...

NAMDAR: I am? News to me.

PHILLIPS: There you go. The actual winner, also, is going to be on there. We are told that Shirin Ebadi will be with Wolf Blitzer at 5 p.m.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




to Iranians Worldwide>