I read a lot of memoir and this summer brought two remarkable women into my life.  The first is Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize award winner from Iran.  Shirin Ebadi grew up during the Shah’s government and lived in Tehran during his overthrow and the subsequent rule of the Islamic Republic under the ayatollahs.  She became Iran’s first female judge, but following the revolution found it difficult to continue her career, eventually being forced to give up her judgeship as well as her ability to practice law.  Ebadi has worked tirelessly against the oppressive regime of Iran, using her intellect and influence to speak out for human rights and justice, especially in defense of children.  Even facing threats to her life and serving an unjust imprisonment, Ebadi never gave up on Iran.  PMIAB reader dvd has written a reflective account of her book, Iran Awakening.  I highly recommend this inspiring story.

 The second woman I encountered through the pages of her book was Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  Born in Somalia, Hirsi Ali experienced the horrors of revolution and war as a young girl.  She was the daughter of a prominent revolutionary leader and only saw him for brief periods during her childhood.  Her family’s and country’s instability resulted in moves to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, a variety of financial and educational barriers, and a strict Muslim culture always in the foreground.  When Ayaan Hirsi Ali was forced into an arranged marriage with an unknown distant cousin, she fled to and received asylum in The Netherlands.  Her book, Infidel, chronicles her story in an intimate way and recounts her budding enthusiasm for learning and Western life.  Hirsi Ali studied and graduated from University in The Netherlands, became a parliamentarian, and devotes her life to protecting and freeing women who are physically and mentally imprisoned in unloving Islamic families.  There are many challenging issues in Hirsi Ali’s story.  One, in particular, for me is her staunch belief that individual rights trump cultural ones.  Because of this driving ideology, she has found a home in more conservative political circles after becoming frustrated with the “multicultural” mindset of the liberal party.  She argues vigorously against special accommodations for conservative Muslim groups and strongly believes Muslims in the West should assimilate into Western culture.  I give her view credence because of her experiences, and they have forced me to reconsider my views on such things as the proposed burqa banning in France.

The third woman I have thought much about this summer is me.  What kind of a woman am I?  These stories call me to stand in solidarity with women worldwide.  I may never be in a position to lose my freedom or suffer at the hands of despotic governments, but as a woman, it is important for me to hold these stories of my sisters close to my heart and respond.  I’m not sure what that looks like from my quiet coffee house and uncensored internet, but I hope this is a start.  I want to start by sharing these stories…and then, perhaps, some more.

1. DVD Says:
   August 26th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

   Thanks for the link-back on “Iran Awakening.” I found the book inspiring and timely. The other book you mention, “Infidel,” sounds like a unique book! I hesitate to recommend a fiction book in response to these 2 you’ve mentioned, but “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini is a great read and tells a realistic story of women in Afghanistan. I wrote here about how it moved me if you’re interested: http://dvdinterrobang.blogspot.com/2008/10/thousand-splendid-suns.html