Iranian Lawyer Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights activist, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a move designed to inspire democratic reforms across the Muslim world. She is the first Iranian to win the prize and only the eleventh female winner.

The choice of a Muslim comes in a year which has been dominated by the Iraq war and its aftermath. It also comes amid growing international tension over the development of Iran's nuclear capabilities.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the award was for her efforts for democracy and human rights, and her focus on the rights of women and children in particular.

"We hope the prize will be an inspiration for all those who struggle for human rights and democracy in her country, in the Muslim world, and in all countries where the fight for human rights needs inspiration and support," it said.

Ms Ebadi, 56, is a lawyer, judge, lecturer and writer. She was the first female judge in Iran before the 1979 Islamic revolution and is the third Muslim to win the prize. Yassir Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, shared the accolade in 1994 with Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres and prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. In 1978 Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was joint winner with Israel's prime minister Menachem Begin.

The Nobel committee said Ms Ebadi had consistently spoken out on human rights issues, supported non-violence and ignored threats to her own safety. It also praised her for seeing "no conflict between Islam and fundamental human rights" and for promoting dialogue between different cultures and religions.

"I'm a Muslim, so you can be a Muslim and support democracy," she said after the news was announced. "It's very good for human rights in Iran, especially for children's rights in Iran. I hope I can be useful."

The judges' choice was a surprise as the Pope, who strongly opposed the Iraq war, and Vaclav Havel, the former dissident and Czech president, were the bookmakers favourites to win.

The prize, which has been awarded since 1901, five years after the death of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, is worth SKr10m (£786,000). It will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.