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T h e G O L D E N

C A G E

Three Brothers, Three Choices, One Destiny

S H I R I N E B A D IN o b e l P e a c e P r i z e L a u r e a t e

! Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (2003), and the only Iranian to receive a Nobel Prize in any field, releases a new memoir in April 2011 entitled The Golden Cage: Three Brothers, Three Choices, One Destiny. The book is a fascinating, contemporary autobiographical story of how Iran came to be the nation it is today. The timeliness of her writing is all the more important with daily breaking news of democracy arising in the region. As she says of her new publication, “History is best described through life stories that are told in simple ways by appealing to what human beings hold in common, the love of life and country.”! She is a remarkable woman because of her keen intellect, but even more so because of her inbred commitment to, and understanding of, egalitarianism. It is honest to interpret this to mean she is a fierce advocate for women's and children's rights. In addition to focusing on bringing democracy to Iran, she is a visionary in having foreseen what we are now witnessing in the Middle East and foreseeing the same to be inevitable throughout the world for all dictatorships.! Dr. Ebadi attributes this in part to the spread of technology, which allows those imprisoned by governments to see how the free world lives. Naturally, the oppressed choose free will. She also believes the innate human spirit to be a driving force behind the inevitability of democracies. Of central importance in Dr. Ebadi's message about Iran and Islam is that she is a moderate. She believes Islam and democracy are compatible. ! Dr. Ebadi loves peace and abhors violence. In between those two ends, lays a middle ground in which she deftly works to persuade world leaders and the world population to better understand her homeland. A place where she describes the people as a simmering kettle -- bubbling to the top is her voice and those of others calling for Iran's democratization. Clearly this has made her an enemy of the current Iranian regime.! She was out of the country when those ruling Iran further attacked in June 2009, compelling her to begin a life in exile. She would face certain arrest and imprisonment were she to return home. For now, she believes it is best to remain living in exile and to continue speaking out around the world, advocating peacefully for all people to be free from oppression. Her new book, The Golden Cage, and companion public speaking itinerary, are crucial parts of her plan.

K A L E S P R E S S

for immediate releasepublication date: April 2011 Contact: Kenneth Kales 760.431.0282 760.420.2168 kenneth@kalespress.com www.kalespress.com

Shirin Ebadi describes The Golden Cage:

! “Most current events are rooted in the past. Iran’s political events are no exception. For over fifty years, the Pahlavi dynasty ruled over Iran through the iron fist of Reza Shah and his son, Mohammad Reza, the Shah. The Pahlavis westernized Iran through both brutal and seductive measures.! As a result, a burgeoning opposition arose to challenge Iran’s westernization. But it was the Islamists, also opposed to the westernization, that succeeded in ousting the Shah in 1979. Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, the Islamic Revolution initiated a campaign to rapidly annihilate nonbelievers.

! Questions about the revolution shape the events of The Golden Cage.

! Answers to these questions shed light on Islamic Iran’s current events, and tell us why Iran strives to acquire nuclear energy, chants “death to Israel,” and claims to be the most powerful political force to shape the Middle East and the Muslim world.History is best described through life stories that are told in simple ways by appealing to what human beings hold in common, the love of life and country.! The Golden Cage is the story of three brothers I knew through their sister, a childhood friend. Each brother subscribes to a different political ideology that tears Iran and their lives apart. One brother is a die-hard monarchist who swears in the name of the Shah. The second brother is a member of one of Iran’s foremost revolutionary groups. The younger brother is a devotee of Ayatollah Khomeini. Each lives closed off within his golden cage of ideology.! ‘If you do not have the power to overthrow the rule of oppression, inform others of the oppression.’ These words mark the beginning of the story you will read, in the hope of exposing a segment of the ongoing oppression in Iran.”

Author photograph by Jeffrey Henson Scales/HSP Archive

Shirin Ebadi describes

The Golden Cage: “Most current events are rooted in the past. Iran’s political events are no exception. For over fifty years, the Pahlavi dynasty ruled over Iran through the iron fist of Reza Shah and his son, Mohammad Reza, the Shah. The Pahlavis westernized Iran through both brutal and seductive measures. As a result, a burgeoning opposition arose to challenge Iran’s westernization. But it was the Islamists, also opposed to the westernization programs, that succeeded in ousting the Shah in 1979. Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, the Islamic Revolution initiated a campaign to rapidly annihilate nonbelievers. Questions about the revolution shape the events of The Golden Cage.

Answers to these questions shed light on Islamic Iran’s current events, and tell us why Iran strives to acquire nuclear energy, chants “death to Israel,” and claims to be the most powerful political force to shape the Middle East and the Muslim world. History is best described through life stories that are told in simple ways by appealing to what human beings hold in common, the love of life and country. The Golden Cage is the story of three brothers I knew through their sister, a childhood friend. Each brother subscribes to a different political ideology that tears Iran and their lives apart. One brother is a die-hard monarchist who swears in the name of the Shah. The second brother is a member of one of Iran’s foremost revolutionary groups. The younger brother is a devotee of Ayatollah Khomeini. Each lives closed off within his golden cage of ideology. ‘If you do not have the power to overthrow the rule of oppression, inform others of the oppression.’ These words mark the beginning of the story you will read, in the hope of exposing a segment of the ongoing oppression in Iran.” ! ! ! ! ! Author photograph by Jeffrey Henson Scales/HSP Archive

Dr. Ebadi's Companion The Golden Cage Public speaking Itinerary

Members of the media please contact the publisher for attending the events, interviewing the author and reviewing the book: Kenneth Kales 760.431.0282, 760.420.2168 kenneth@kalespress.com www.kalespress.comUniversity events are free admission for the public. Please contact the hosting venues for seating availability.

New YorkApril 18, 2011 Council on Foreign Relations roundtable/program, 12:00 - 2:00 pmJohn T. ChenResearch Associate for U.S. Foreign PolicyCouncil on Foreign Relations58 East 68th StreetNew York, New York 10065tel 212.434.9661,   fax 212.434.9827www.cfr.org“John T. Chen” jchen@cfr.org  

April 18, 2011 United Nations Association/Institute of International Educationspeech/program 6:00 - 8:00 pmAnn NicolExecutive DirectorUnited Nations Association of New York801 Second AvenueNew York, New York 10017212-907-1353www.unanyc.org“Ann Nicol” anicol@unanyc.org 

April 19, 2011 New York University speech/program 6:00 - 8:00 pm Greta N. ScharnweberAssociate DirectorHagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern StudiesNew York University50 Washington Square SouthNew York, NY 10012212.998.8872www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/neareast/“Greta N. Scharnweber” greta.scharnweber@nyu.edu

April 20, 2011 Columbia University speech/program 12:30 - 3:00 pm Astrid BenedekColumbia University, The Middle East Institute420 West 118th StreetNew York, New York 10027Phone: 212-854-2584, Fax: 212- 854-1413www.mei.columbia.edu/“Astrid Benedek” amb49@columbia.edu

Washington DCApril 21, 2011 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace speech/program 10:00 - 2:00 pmJessica L. JenningsCarnegie Endowment for International Peace1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20036-2103 jjennings@ceip.org+1 202 939 2265 http://carnegieendowment.org/

April 21, 2011 George Washington University speech/program 4:00 - 7:00 pmMarc LynchDirector, Institute for Middle East StudiesGeorge Washington University1957 E Street NW,  Suite 512LWashington DC 20007marclynchgwu@gmail.comTel: 202-994-5291http://lynch.foreignpolicy.comThe Middle East Channel:  http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com

April 22, 2011 George Mason University speech/program 1:00 - 3:00James GreifManagerMedia Relations DepartmentGeorge Mason University4400 University DriveFairfax, VA 22030Email: jgreif@gmu.eduTel: 703-993-9118Web: mes.gmu.edu

April 23, 2011 National Iranian American Council program 5:00 - 7:00Nobar ElmiDirector of Community Outreach & ProgrammingNational Iranian American Council1411 K St. NW  Ste. 600Washington, DC 20005direct:  202 379 1638office: 202 386 6325cell:  202 290 7547www.niacouncil.org

ChicagoApril 25, 2011 Chicago Council on Global Affairs speech/program 12:00 - 2:00Niamh KingExecutive Director, Public and Leadership ProgramsThe Chicago Council on Global Affairs332 S. Michigan Ave, Suite 1100Chicago, IL 60604-4416www.thechicagocouncil.org312.821.6848 Direct 312.821.7555 Fax nking@thechicagocouncil.org

April 25, 2011 Northwestern University speech/program 7:00 - 9:00 pmRita KoryanAssistant DirectorBuffett Center for International and Comparative StudiesNorthwestern University1902 Sheridan RoadEvanston IL 60208vox: 847-467-1152fax: 847-467-1996e-mail: r-koryan@northwestern.eduwww.bcics.northwestern.edu ･ The Golden Cage:Three Brothers, Three Choices, One DestinyNobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi

Kales Press, a W. W. Norton affiliateHardcover, Fully Bound, Jacketed5.625 x 8.25 inches, 256 pagesISBN-13: 978-0-99798456-4-2Price: U.S. $26.95Publication date: April 2011

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! Shirin Ebadi, J.D., was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote human rights, in particular, the rights of women, children, and political prisoners in Iran. She is the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and only the fifth Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in any field. Dr. Ebadi was one of the first female judges in Iran. She served as president of the city court of Tehran from 1975 to 1979 and was the first Iranian woman to achieve Chief Justice status. ! She, along with other women judges, was dismissed from that position after the Islamic Revolution in February 1979. She was made a clerk in the court she had once presided over, until she petitioned for early retirement. After obtaining her lawyer's license in 1992, Dr. Ebadi set up private practice. As a lawyer, Dr. Ebadi has taken on many controversial cases defending political dissidents and as a result has been arrested numerous times. In addition to being an internationally-recognized advocate of human rights, she has also established many non-governmental organizations in Iran, including the Million Signatures Campaign, a campaign demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iranian law.! Dr. Ebadi is also a university professor and often students from outside Iran take part in her human rights training courses. She has published over 70 articles and 13 books dedicated to various aspects of human rights, some of which have been published by UNICEF. ! In addition to being an internationally recognized advocate of human rights, she has also established many nongovernmental organizations and closely affiliated with others such as The Defenders of Human Rights Center, The Nobel Women's Initiative, and The PeaceJam Foundation.