'no to war. yes to peace and human rights.'

The above title is from Worldpress.org's interview with Shirin Ebadi entitled "Follow the Path of Negotiation and Peace" -- a hopeful keynote with which to start the new year, as well as a firm stand against what seems to be the impending US bombing of Iran.

Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian human rights lawyer and the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate -- the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to have been named as such. In 1969, she began serving as a judge -- the first woman in Iran to do so.

Ebadi continues her private practice as a lawyer, taking on cases of national interest, most involving children's rights and freedom of expression. She teaches human rights courses and has written several articles and books. What strikes me most about Ebadi is that, in a paternalistic society, she espouses and represents equality between men and women.

I'm sure I'm not alone in the hope that any and all efforts towards peace -- such as Ebadi's National Peace Council -- will succeed. Let's hope that 2008 will see more of such initiatives.