Shirin Ebadi

"When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp. The funny thing is that human rights activists and Mr. Bush can never be situated in the same group."

"Women are the victims of this patriarchal culture, but they are also its carriers. Let us keep in mind that every oppressive man was raised in the confines of his mother's home."

"Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization."

"We must not enable anyone to impose his personal view regarding religion on others by force, oppression, or pressure."