Reformists welcome Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi

Thousands of Iranians descended on Tehran's city airport on Tuesday evening to welcome their new national hero: the country's first Nobel Laureate, 56-year-old Shirin Ebadi. Some had travelled for hours, from cities other than Tehran to be here. Now they were clutching flowers and waving banners, many of them wearing white to symbolise peace. The party atmosphere was joyous and emotional, with people linking arms to sing Iran's pre-revolutionary national anthem and chant anti-government slogans. Hundreds of police with batons lined the streets, but looked bemused by the euphoria, and no animosity ensued between them and the revellers. "Tonight is an exceptional night - it's a momentous moment for children's rights and women's rights," said Ja'far Vakili, who had come with his wife and daughter from Karaj, a town an hour's drive from the capital. As the aircraft carrying Ebadi landed, a deafening roar of cheers, whistles and claps erupted, only to dwindle to silence as she began addressing the crowd. Visibly overwhelmed by the reception, Ebadi wiped away a tear as she called for peace, human rights, democracy, and freedom to be granted to all political prisoners, adding that her award belonged to the Iranian people. "The world has heard our cry," she said. By becoming a laureate, the human rights activist has further widened the rift between reformists and hardliners. A vociferous opponent of Iran's divorce and inheritance laws, and rights violations by the Iranian authorities, Ebadi has doggedly campaigned for the rights of women and children. Not only is she Iran's first woman judge, but as a lawyer taking up politically sensitive cases she was given a suspended sentence, banned from working and briefly detained. While reformists are celebrating Ebadi's homecoming from Paris, where she had been attending a conference when she heard of her award, hardliners are describing the Nobel judges' decision to honour her as an attempt by the West to destabilise the Islamic government. Under pressure from the hardline clerics, Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami's views have taken a U-turn. Initially praising Ebadi's achievement, saying, "There is no one who does not delight in the success of a fellow compatriot," a few days later he described the award as "not very important", and warned the rights lawyer to pay attention to Iranian interests. To the country's reformists, Khatami's perceived failure to stand by the progressive movement in the face of pressure from hardliners has caused frustration and anger. This feeling was reflected at the airport, where, amid joyous cries of "Long live Ebadi", others were heard furiously chanting "Shame on you, Khatami".