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When Shirin Ebadi was chosen for the Nobel Peace Award in 2003, the reactions in her own country demonstrated once again the divisive nature of the times we live in and the fate that awaits those who refuse to merge their identities with one set of principles or another. Chosen for her consistent championing of the cause of human rights, women and children. The conservative Iran of the establishment believed that it was an attempt by the West to make inroads in the country and fan dissidence. Aaj Ka Iran is a brief but faithful recording, in juxtaposition with the West, of the contemporary history of her country. Not surprisingly, Shirin Ebadi begins with the overthrow of the popular government by the Reza Shah Pehlavi, the Shah of the country in 1953. It was a significant event as it marked a watershed not only in the history of Iran but also of its relationship with the US. People, especially those with a proud history, civilization and culture of thousands of years can hardly resist forces of reaction when a direct assault is made on its pride and freedom to act. Flashes of a distinctive character and mind were visible in Ebadi even earlier but when faced with the atrocities committed by the new rulers, and that too in the name of Islam, her personality begin to evolve. In this, however, she never displayed foolhardy bravado. She had realised that the road ahead is long and arduous and that she can only fight with the tools that she is allowed to wield by a system that is authoritarian, tyrannical and invoking the sanction of religion. She has done that remarkably, as is demonstrated by the fact that she primarily chose to address the plight of women and children – subjects that are likely to find sympathisers. However, standing up for rights cannot be confined only to particular sections and that is why even when she did her best to remain within the system to successfully help women and children there were times when the vortex of events drew her to the greater issue of freedom and human rights. The cases of the slain Dariush Farouhan and his wife and that of the killing of Ezzat Ebrahimnizad to terrorise the intellectual community and that of the video-taped confession of Amir Farshad Ebrahami speak volumes about the moral courage possessed by Shirin Ebadi. Among her successes and failures as a human rights activist what stands out is her fierce nationalism and belief in Islam. The translation of the book is good and its price reasonable and should give greater insight to the Hindi readers into what Iran is today and what ails it.
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