STOCKHOLM: Afghan human rights activist, ex-minister and burqa opponent Sima Samar on Thursday won the Swedish Right Livelihood Award honouring those who work to improve the lives of others.
Samar, 55, was honoured “for her longstanding and courageous dedication to human rights, especially the rights of women, in one of the most complex and dangerous regions in the world,” the jury said in a statement.
A medical doctor by training, Samar fled to Pakistan in 1984 when her husband disappeared following his arrest by Afghanistan’s communist regime.
She returned in 2001 to become her country’s first minister of women’s affairs, but had to resign after just six months after she criticised sharia law in an interview in Canada.
She was in 2002 named the head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, which she still leads, and was from 2005 to 2009 the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan.
Samar shares the 2012 Right Livelihood Award with American political theorist Gene Sharp, 84, whom the jury described as “the world’s foremost expert on non-violent revolution”, and a non-governmental organisation compaigning for an end to British arms exports, Campaign Against Arms Trade.
An honorary prize was awarded to 90-year-old Hayrettin Karaca, “considered the grandfather of the Turkish environmental movement,” the jury said.
Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull founded the donor-funded prize in 1980 after the Nobel Foundation behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards honouring efforts in the fields of the environment and international development.
For this reason, the Right Livelihood Award Foundation oftens calls its distinction the “alternative Nobel prize.”
The three Right Livelihood winners share the prize sum of 150,000 euros ($193,000).
COMMENTS (32)
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@Virkaul: "Unfortunately, Pakistanis are confused about their ethnicity." NO, we're not thank you. We are a multicultural society, including Punjabis, Pashtuns, SIndhis, Balochis, Hindkowans and dozens of other ethnic groups. We are one of the most diverse nations on earth and we're proud of it.
"They want to deny their Indian ethnicity while Arabs don’t own them." - Well, I'm a Pakistani Pakhtoon, and personally, there is nothing "Indian" about me genetically or culturally. Neither am I an Arab. Go preach your ethnicity taunts somewhere else.
PS. It is mostly Indian Muslims who claim Arab and Pakhtoon descent. Go to Hyderabad or any Indian Muslim city and walk in the street. You'll see alot of "Khans" (Pathans as they call themselves), Abbasis (Arab descendants) etc. So it is you who have this inferiority complex.
i am not in support of west but this article is tottaly one sided ...if she was pakistani i am sure that news paper may not critized her like this .. she might be proud of pakistan
Bravo Madam,
Keep up the good work for your people.
I have been reading all the above comments which are between Pakstanis and Afghans. What I can gather is that Pakistanis consider Afghanistan as their 5th province or their colony; exactly like what they have done with Bangla Desh or are doing in Balochistan. Pakistan wants Afghanistan as their strategic asset with full control to deploy it for their benefit. It does not work. You need each ethnic community to preserve their customs and practices. Pashtuns and Pakhtoons were Buddhists at one time and had their own culture, which was vibrant. To ridicule anyone's culture is a hollow personality's traits. Arabs are Arabs, while Afghans are Afghans. Unfortunately, Pakistanis are confused about their ethnicity. They want to deny their Indian ethnicity while Arabs don't own them. Dhobi ka.......Na ghar ka Na ghat ka. People who don't relate with the soil they are born in or where their forefathers are buried become like this.
@ zalmay ...why dont you take your 3.5 million countrymen of your " great pakhtunwali civilization" back to ur country that are living in pakistan? why are you people exporting opiums and destroying the lives of millions of youth all over the world? ur women cant go out for even shopping or not even allowed to work...when i condemned the anti burqa award winner u criticised me and bragged about greatest civilization from which u come. i request u do not hate urself as we have nothing to do from the stone age u have come from...if indeed u are thinking pakistan should do everything to solve ur problem,,,then why are u stabbing both pakistan and afghanistan through ur hate ?
@PakToons: "Pakistanis generally have goodwill towards Afghans for sentimental reasons, not because you guys provide any benefit to us or because we’re so impressed with your country. " There is a country which provided Pakistan with all kind of benefits, which even impressed Pakistanis but Pakistanis never had any goodwill towards that country. Proof: Pakistanis went on to double-cross and cheat that country. Pakistanis had goodwill towards Afghans so long as they (Pakistanis) believed they could lasso them (Afghans) and lead them around where they wanted. Certainly not for sentimental reasons. Unfortunately, Afghans did not agree to that little arrangement thought up by little men of Pakistan. Wonder why!!!!
@Paktoons
Pashtuns from southern Afghanistan don't call themselves Pakhtuns because we don't use the Kh dialect like southeast Afghanistan and Pakistan. You would know a thing or two about Pashtuns if you had ever met or spoken to a Pashtun from Afghanistan not Pakistan.
Your ignorance is your downfall because you cannot tell an Afghan from an Indian nor can you distinguish the difference between Pashtuns and Pakhtuns.
@Zalmai/Vinod/Ghanesh/whatever your name really is
"Afghans are marvelous people, that is why your missiles are named after our emperors and kings and not after Iqbal or Jinnah."
Playing along with your "I'm an afghan" routine.... so you're saying your only source of pride is Pakistani scientific achievement which happens to be named after Turkik origin Persian speaking people about 500 years ago? You're eloquent enough to get a job at a call center...why not do that instead of pouring out anger on the net? I'm sure you're not getting paid to do this. And the incidents in our society are not so far from what takes place everyday in Afghanistan or even India where you're actually from. You guys have panchayats and conspiracies about hindu girls marrying Muslim men bcs of a diabolical plan by the ISI to produce more Indian Muslim babies. Lets not get so high and mighty...we're all developing nations with our own problem who have no right to look down on one another. So dump the attitude Mr fraudulent "Pashtun".......a real one would have used the term "Pakhtun" which is one of the many obvious reasons you're not very good at this
zalmai, dude afghan women are treated badly because of Pakhtunwali and this has nothing to do with religion.
@Paktoons
Afghans are marvelous people, that is why your missiles are named after our emperors and kings and not after Iqbal or Jinnah.
@HAZARA TIGERS: I do not know why most of our Afghans are brain-washed by Western countries, and one of the great example of those.....
"Our culture and civilization is superior to Arab Bedouin culture and so we don’t need them to tell us how to be better Muslims. We have an identity apart from Islam, which is called Pashtunwali and this identity sets us apart from you because you are still trying to forge an identity and failing at it miserably."
Not even a sophisticated troll job. Maybe you don't get it because you're Indian, but you've given the game away buddy...do some research on the subject you're trying to engage in before trying to pull a stunt like this. There are so many of you here and I wonder why all of you don't have something better to do
@Confused Paki
The mark of a primitive society is evident in the everyday events that take place in your country.
@Confused Paki
Dude...I am not looking down on anybody it is your inferiority complex coming through. I merely stated that we don't strive to become Arabs or cow tow to them by talking of Sharia law 24/7.
Whatever you said about Afghans and their history in the last 100 years is accurate and I am not here to debate that issue.
I just said that Afghans have their own identity and that identity comes into conflict with alien ideologies because we have a strong ethos, which cannot be reconciled with Arab Wahhabism peddled by Pakistan. That is all dude.
@Abid
"Who are you ? Are you Zalmay Khallizad? The ” famous afghan self hating muslim” who serves as diplomat in America ..more loyal and most American Afghani than anyother american itself. First of all do some introspection"
By your logic all Pakistani politicians fall under the self hating Muslim because they do the bidding of USA for their personal benefit. Introspection is something Pakistan needs to do and find out if you are Indian, Arab, Afghan, Persian or what?
The modesty of an Afghan woman is none of your business. Concern yourself with the modesty of your women and stop parading them around naked because of perceived transgressions.
Pakistan and its holier than thou attitude is farcical and hypocritical. Afghans don't take their cues about Islam and culture from Arabs or anyone for that matter. Pakistan is beholden to act like Arabs because of financial aid received from Arab patrons.
Our culture and civilization is superior to Arab Bedouin culture and so we don't need them to tell us how to be better Muslims. We have an identity apart from Islam, which is called Pashtunwali and this identity sets us apart from you because you are still trying to forge an identity and failing at it miserably.
Bedouin camel herders? Really? And I suppose Afghans have been on the cutting edge of science and civilization. I've heard countless Pakhtuns say they're descended from Alexander's armies, the mongols, the aryans and the jews...all at the same time! If that's what you're drawing this false sense of pride from, then you really need to re-visit the contradictions of those beliefs. Other than any potential relation to those more famous people, I can't see any significant event in history to which one can turn as say, "Wow, the Afghans..what a marvelous people they were"....nope...not a single one! Please don't look down on others and stop this ridiculous Afghan pride nonsense...there is no reason for it. Pakistanis generally have goodwill towards Afghans for sentimental reasons, not because you guys provide any benefit to us or because we're so impressed with your country. Be bitter to us all you like, time will show you that the majority of Pakistanis were genuinely sincere with the Afghan people but its people like you and Hamid Karzai who introduce division and hatred.
@abid:
Perhaps the ability to withstand harsh stone-age conditions is considered a mark of superiority in primitive societies but anywhere else one would have a hard time grasping why someone would be bragging about being an Afghan
@Abid
"Who are you ? Are you Zalmay Khallizad? The ” famous afghan self hating muslim” who serves as diplomat in America ..more loyal and most American Afghani than anyother american itself. First of all do some introspection"
By your logic all Pakistani politicians fall under the self hating Muslim because they do the bidding of USA for their personal benefit. Introspection is something Pakistan needs to do and find out if you are Indian, Arab, Afghan, Persian or what?
The modesty of an Afghan woman is none of your business. Concern yourself with the modesty of your women and stop parading them around naked because of perceived transgressions.
Pakistan and its holier than thou attitude is farcical and hypocritical. Afghans don't take their cues about Islam and culture from Arabs or anyone for that matter. Pakistan is beholden to act like Arabs because of financial aid received from your Arab patrons.
Our culture and civilization is superior to Arab Bedouin culture and so we don't need them to tell us how to be better Muslims. We have an identity apart from Islam, which is called Pashtunwali.
@Abid I can agree with everything you said except for your views on In-vitro fertilisation. Do you know how many childless couples have benefited from this discovery? It is extremely revolutionary for mankind.
@Hassan K Bajwa: "Sheesh… i’m truly sick of this constant whining about how the “evil west” is “corrupting” the muslims by “colluding” with “local traitors” to bring down the “glorious ummah”…. seriously..."
I couldn't have said it better. Totally agree!
@abid: Your name sounds male so I'm gonna assume you are one. So what makes you an authority on what a muslim born woman should or shouldn't consider as "jewellery." Let the women decide for themselves. You anyway seem to believe in freedom for women. As for this one woman who has achieved so much against such heavy odds, your petty and bigoted criticism is not going to take anything away from the good she has done for her people.
why are Pakistanis cribbing?
Well done seema samar... The thing is there are some people who will never want the afghan or the woman to earn the respect she ( seema samar ) has earned. If you are man enough,clever enough or brave enough, you go and get it.
It is funny reading negative comments from Pakistanis about an Afghan woman who has struggled to empower women and fight for their rights.Funnier still is the fact that most Pakistanis are Anglophiles with a colonial mindset, yet they want to project themselves as Arabs.You are a confused lot.
Maybe Pakistanis want to adopt Sharia law most Afghans don't care for Sharia law. It is not in our DNA to live like Bedouin camel herders. We are not Arabs and don't want to adopt their culture.
Sima Samar is a pioneer and a champion of womens rights. She would still be a minister if jihadi elements were not in power in Afghanistan.
Happy to hear about the award won by Hazara Woman belonging to Afghanistan but really disappointing comments by some sorry to say narrow minded colleagues. I really believe that many of those who commented did not know about the ground reality in Afghanistan where women are not allowed to go to school where women can not go even outside to buy house hold likelihoods. Where deep human rights issue exist. several people did not know about the mentality of Taliban but blindly following. Here in Afghanistan Taliban are burning the schools and those girls who want to go. Do u like such mentality to come in your houses and cities. Do u like such mentality in Punjab and Lahore.
You particularly People of Punjab want for them some thing else (i.e school, college, development) while for Afghanistan Jihad, destruction, no schools (only Madrassa).
She(Sema Samar) is the courageous woman who in such circumstances.
Sheesh... i'm truly sick of this constant whining about how the "evil west" is "corrupting" the muslims by "colluding" with "local traitors" to bring down the "glorious ummah".... seriously.. just keep quiet and put a lid on your bigotry An afghan woman pursued a policy she believed in. You may disagree vehemently with her, but that certainly gives you no right to ascribe this notion of treachery to her. By that same token i might ascribe treachery to you since you so obviously are controlled by your Al-Qaeda "masters". Only weak intellects consider anothers actions to be the result of "unseen hands" working behind the scenes (weak intellects or conspiracy nuts). Anyhow before you condemn her, find out who the heck she is.
Well her background shows her anti islam leanings. Any one who criticizes Sharia Law, fights to allow Muslim women to take off their clothes in the name of Human Rights is definitely working for the Masters in Europe. If she was really a Human Rights activist she would have fought against the continuous killing and maiming of innocent civilians by the Foreign Forces in Afghanistan. Shame on Sweden too !
and now if she writes a blasphemous book on Islam..may be some european country will award her Pulitzer or even noble peace prize in the name of "Western Suited" Freedom of Expression and blah blah blah... It has become a fashion ..if u wanna quick money and awards..support adultery, homosexuals,in vitreo fertilization, join gay pride, write or draw cartoons and malign holy prophets etc.in Europe.