Nobel winner Shirin Ebadi to publish memoir with Random House

Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi will chronicle her post-prize life and fight for justice in a new memoir for Random House, the publisher announced Wednesday.

Ebadi, who received the prize in 2003, was the first Muslim woman and remains the only Iranian to be awarded a Nobel. The Nobel committee pointed out that the award was intended to help “reduce the tensions between the Islamic and the Western worlds� after 9/11 while also fostering an open society in Iran.

Born in Iran in 1947, Ebadi was a judge who lost her position during the 1979 Iranian revolution. She became an attorney who advocated working for democracy and human rights, giving particular attention to women and children. In 2000, she was imprisoned by Iranian authorities. She has lived in exile since 2009.

“Treachery: My Story of Exile from Iran� will depict “the pressure and constant surveillance the Iranian government has put on Dr. Ebadi and her human rights work since she won the Nobel Peace Prize,� Random House writes. “Years of intimidation and violence -- including the detention of her sister and daughter, an espionage plot involving her husband, and the ransacking of her offices in Tehran -- ultimately destroyed her family and forced Dr. Ebadi into exile, a story she has never told before. ‘Treachery’ is about personal and political betrayal and illuminates many of the issues of today involving Iran, political Islam and the Middle East.�

“Building Iran has been my life’s work, from the moment I became a judge through to today,� Ebadi said in a statement. “The revolution stripped me of my judgeship, but I have struggled alongside the women of Iran to secure equality and freedom. I wrote my new book to document our determination. One day we will prevail, and I pray and hope that history will record our efforts.�

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