ARAB-ISLAMIC AFFAIRS - Oct. 10 - Iranian Woman Gets Nobel Prize.

Iranian lawyer and civil rights activist Shirin Ebadi becomes the first Muslim woman to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. In awarding the prize, the Nobel committee says it wishes to prod the Muslim world into recognising that Islam and human rights, particularly those of women and children, can go hand in hand. It also says it hopes to advance a moderate, non-violent path towards reform in Muslim countries, one in which religious and cultural differences are rewarded rather than punished during this time of international turbulence and upheaval. But in Tehran, an editor of the hardline conservative Resalat daily, Amir Mohebian, said: "Although we may be happy that an Iranian has won the prize, we believe the Nobel Peace Prize is being used to suit political objectives" (see Iran section).