SHIRIN EBADI - HUMAN RIGHTS AS A GUARANTEE OF LASTING PEACE

Abstract

The text is a tribute to the life and work of the first Muslim woman and at the same time the first Iranian woman who in 2003 received Nobel Prize for Peace- Shirin Ebadi. Her scientific work and her engagement in social reforms, she brilliantly proved that Islam is not only compatible with the West but the fact that it can present significant source of inspiration for respecting human rights and practicing democracy. Unifying in her courageous endeavour religious and civil responsibility she became a hurdle in the minds of all both religious and profane fundamentalists. Her example represents a warning that by seclusion of women from the religious institutions and the civil society as a whole we rob ourselves of half (or perhaps even more) of the possibilities we need for solving our daily issues effectively. The essential precondition for this is overall catharsis that would primarily include reconsidering the attitude towards women. In the atmosphere of indifference, opportunism and cowardice that is spreading within the Bosnian and Herzegovinian society, including the intellectual, political and religious sphere, comes before us as a reminder that resignation is below the dignity of man, but also as a great encouragement for taking up the responsibilities on both individual and collective level of humanising of our given socio-political reality.