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.

They denied that Ebadi's activities were directly related to the goals of the prize as originally stated by Alfred Nobel. The Iranian foreign ministry subsequently denied the confiscation and also criticised Norway for interfering in Iran's affairs. It is not religion that binds women but the selective dictates of those who wish them cloistered.

She was the first ever Iranian to receive the prize. In 2009 Ebadi's award was allegedly confiscated by Iranian authorities though this was later denied by the Iranian government. In 2004 Shirin Ebadi was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the "100 most powerful women in the world".