Masoumeh Ebtekar ( fa, معصومه ابتکار; born 21 September 1960) was the former
Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, from August 9, 2017, to September 1, 2021. She previously headed
Department of Environment
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
from 1997 to 2005, making her
the first female member in the
cabinet of Iran
The Cabinet of Iran ( fa, هیئتدولت ایران, ''Heyatedovlat-e Iran'') is a formal body composed of government officials, ministers, chosen and led by a President. Its composition must be approved by a vote in the Parliament. Accordin ...
since 1979 and the third in history. She held the same level of office from 2013 to 2017. She is a full professor at Tarbiat Modares University in the School of Medical Sciences, Immunology Department.
Ebtekar was nicknamed "Mary", when she was the spokeswoman of the students who took
hostages and occupied the US Embassy in 1979. Later she became the head of the Environment Protection Organization of Iran during the administration of President
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
, and was a
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
woman of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
from 2007 to 2013.
Education and family
Ebtekar was born in Tehran as Masoumeh, Niloufar Ebtekar in a middle-class family.
Her first name translates to "Innocent Water Lily" in English.
[ Ebtekar's father studied at the ]University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, and she lived with her parents in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents.
As of the 2020 ce ...
, just outside Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. During her six years in Philadelphia, she developed "near-perfect, American-accented English."[Sciolino, Elaine, ''Persian Mirrors : the Elusive Face of Iran'', Free Press, (2005), p. 116] Returning to Iran she enrolled in Iranzamin (Tehran International School). Later after graduation as a student, she became a supporter of the political Islam of Ali Shariati
Ali Shariati Mazinani ( fa, علی شریعتی مزینانی, 23 November 1933 – 18 June 1977) was an Iranian revolutionary and sociologist who focused on the sociology of religion. He is held as one of the most influential Iranian intell ...
and began wearing a traditional black chador covering everything except her face.
Ebtekar holds a BSc degree in laboratory science from Shahid Beheshti University
Shahid Behesti University ( fa, دانشگاه شهید بهشتی , Dāneshgāh-e Shahid Beheshti) (formerly known as the National University of Iran) is a public research university in Tehran, Iran. The university offers many programs at Bache ...
, a MSc and PhD in immunology
Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...
from Tarbiat Modares University
Tarbiat Modares University ( fa, دانشگاه تربیت مدرس: ''Dāneshgāh-e Tarbiyat Modares'', lit. "Professor Training University") is an exclusively graduate university with its main campus in Tehran, Iran. It was founded in 1982 a ...
in 1995, where she still teaches. Ebtekar is married to Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi who is a businessman in the private sector. They have two children.
Academic career
Ebtekar has served as faculty member at Tarbiat Modares University
Tarbiat Modares University ( fa, دانشگاه تربیت مدرس: ''Dāneshgāh-e Tarbiyat Modares'', lit. "Professor Training University") is an exclusively graduate university with its main campus in Tehran, Iran. It was founded in 1982 a ...
, which is a postgraduate academic center located in Tehran. As Professor of Immunology, she has taught, supervised and advised PhD and MSc students. Ebtekar currently teaches cytokines, viral immunology, HIV vaccines, aging, immunology of the nervous system and psychoneuroimmunology. She has currently filed 72 ISI scientific articles in the field of immunology in Scopus in her name. In her speech to the Eleventh International Congress of Immunology in Tehran, she mentioned the detrimental effect of sanctions on the advancement of science in Iran and noted that sanctions should not be directed against nations. Ebtekar is a member of several research board committees and a reviewer for two international and four national immunology journals.
Ebtekar was promoted to full Professorship in Jan 2019 and elected as Immunology & Allergy Association in 2018.
Claims of scientific misconduct
On 7 October 2008, eTBLAST
eTBLAST was a free text-similarity service now defunct. It was initially developed by Alexander Pertsemlidis and Harold “Skip” Garner in 2005 at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It offered access to the following databas ...
, a text similarity search engine on MEDLINE
MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, or MEDLARS Online) is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medic ...
database, noted that 85% of a review paper published by Masoumeh Ebtekar came from several previously published articles. The review paper, on cytokines and air pollution, was published in 2006 in the ''Iran Journal of Allergy Asthma Immunology'' (IJAAI) 5 47-56:2006.
A couple weeks after the eTBLAST report, '' Nature (journal), Nature'' covered the story, quoting one of the authors of original papers, ( Ian Mudway, a toxicologist
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating ex ...
at the King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
) as saying, "the article is a veritable patchwork of other people's work, word for word, grammatical error for grammatical error." ''Nature'' also stated that Ebtekar had not replied to its emails. In response, the editor-in-chief of the IJAAI issued a statement saying: "We regret for this duplication that appeared in the journal. We are working with the editors of the JACI journal he_''Journal_of_Allergy_and_Clinical_Immunology'',_a_scholarly_periodical_that_published_three_of_the_papers_from_which_Ebtekar_had_copied.html" ;"title="Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology">he ''Journal_of_Allergy_and_Clinical_Immunology">he_''Journal_of_Allergy_and_Clinical_Immunology'',_a_scholarly_periodical_that_published_three_of_the_papers_from_which_Ebtekar_had_copiedto_find_the_best_solution_in_this_regard."_In_December_2008_Ebtekar's_article_was_retracted.
The_issue_received_some_political_and_public_attention_in_Iran._Ebtekar_issued_a_statement_admitting_she_had_made_a_mistake_and_apologizing_for_it,_but_including_a_list_of_complaints_such_as_eTBLAST's_failure_to_inform_her_of_their_finding_in_advance,_the_fact_that_the_article_was_a_review_article_she_was_invited_to_write_for_the_Journal,_and_that_more_than_76_references_were_given_in_the_text.
_President_of_the_12th_International_Congress_of_Immunology
In_2013_Ebtekar_was_elected_as_the_President_of_the_12th_International_Congress_of_Immunology._The_Congress_was_held_on_April_29,_2014._Ebtekar_spoke_in_the_opening_ceremony_and_introduced_Rolf_M._Zinkernagel.html" "title="Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology'', a scholarly periodical that published three of the papers from which Ebtekar had copied">Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology">he ''Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology'', a scholarly periodical that published three of the papers from which Ebtekar had copiedto find the best solution in this regard." In December 2008 Ebtekar's article was retracted.
The issue received some political and public attention in Iran. Ebtekar issued a statement admitting she had made a mistake and apologizing for it, but including a list of complaints such as eTBLAST's failure to inform her of their finding in advance, the fact that the article was a review article she was invited to write for the Journal, and that more than 76 references were given in the text.
President of the 12th International Congress of Immunology
In 2013 Ebtekar was elected as the President of the 12th International Congress of Immunology. The Congress was held on April 29, 2014. Ebtekar spoke in the opening ceremony and introduced Rolf M. Zinkernagel">Rolf Zinkernagel
Rolf Martin Zinkernagel (born 6 January 1944) is Professor of Experimental Immunology at the University of Zurich. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for the discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infe ...
, the Nobel Laureate for Medicine, as the guest of honour.
Social and political career
In 1981, Ebtekar became the editor-in-chief of the English daily newspaper ''Kayhan International'', selected by Khatami who was then the representative of Ayatollah Khomeini in Kayhan Institute. She served in the newspaper until 1983. In 1991 she co-founded the Institute for Women's Studies and Research. Since 1992, she has been the license holder and managing director of the journal '' Farzaneh Journal for Women's Studies and Research''. Ebtekar was appointed as the Head of Women's NGO Coordinating Office and Vice Head of the National Committee to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Later, she was elected as the President of the Network of Women's NGOs in Iran.
Early activism and role in the Hostage Crisis
Ebtekar served as spokeswoman for the students in the Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...
of 1979, where Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line ( fa, دانشجویان مسلمان پیرو خط امام ''Dânešjuyân-e Mosalmân-e peyrov-e Xatt-e Emâm''), also called the Muslim Students of the Imam Khomeini Line, was an Iranian student g ...
occupied the US Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Selected because of her good command of English, she made regular appearances on American television as translator and spokeswoman for the students, where she presented the official positions of the students. She was referred to as "Mary" by foreign press, and "Tiger Lily" by the hostages, a play on the translation of "Niloufar".[
Ebtekar wrote an account of the embassy takeover with Fred A. Reed titled ''Takeover in Tehran: The Inside Story of the 1979 U.S. Embassy Capture''. Western media have systematically depicted Ebtekar's involvement in a negative manner, as Reed describes: "For twenty years the prevailing 'globalized' version of the embassy capture has cast the students at best as well-intentioned but naive young people manipulated ...and at worst as irresponsible extremists." ]Elaine Sciolino
Elaine Sciolino is an author and contributing writer of ''The New York Times'', writing from France since 2002.
She grew up near Buffalo (NY) and began her career as a journalist with Newsweek magazine
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly onl ...
wrote about Ebtekar's own viewpoint: "Asked by an ''ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
'' correspondent one day whether she could see herself picking up a gun and killing the hostages, she replied: 'yes. When I've seen an American gun being lifted up and killing my brothers and sisters in the streets, of course.'"[Sciolino, ''Persian Mirrors'', (2005), p. 117]
She is said to be remembered by many Americans (hostages such as David Roeder, Barbara Timm, the mother of hostage Kevin Hermening and those who watched her on television) with a great lack of fondness, in part because "her familiarity with America added profound emphasis to her rejection of it."
When asked by an American interviewer (Elaine Sciolino) in the late 1990s about her past as spokeswoman for the hostage-takers, why it did not appear on her resume, and why she had changed her name from Niloufar to Masoumeh, Ebtekar "had no apology and made no excuses" about her role, describing the hostage taking as "the best direction that could have been taken" by Iran at the time, but surprised the interviewer with her "chutzpah
Chutzpah () is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. It derives from the Hebrew word ' (), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity". Thus the original Yiddish word has a strongly negative connotation but the form which entered English ...
", insisting that the interviewer "not write much about these things." Sciolino published this article in the ''New York Times'' unaware of the fact that Ebtekar's book (Takeover in Tehran) was in print and would be published in 2001.
She was an advisor of Shahla Habibi
Shahla Habibi (1958—6 September 2017) was Iran's Presidential Advisor on Women's Affairs from 1991 to 1997. She was former member of central council of Islamic Coalition Party.
Career Presidential advisor
In 28 December 1991, President Rafsanjan ...
, head of the 'Bureau of Women's Affairs' under administration Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...
in the 1990s, and was reportedly the "main driving-force" behind the office.
In the 2012 film ''Argo
In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...
'', Ebtekar was portrayed by Nikka Far and called only "Tehran Mary" in the credits.
Vice presidency first term (1997–2005)
Ebtekar was the first woman to serve as vice-president of Iran when the reformists came to power. Along with Zahra Shojaei, she participated in the first cabinet since the Islamic Revolution to include women. She has been described as a leftist in Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
's alliance.[ Ebtekar headed the Department of Environment for eight years, introducing major structural, organizational and directional changes enabling a re-engineering of the government body. During her tenure environmental awareness and support for civil society activism in this area was enhanced.
Ebtekar's appointment led to the revelation of her past, and in the US questions were raised about whether President Khatami was aware of "how deeply" the hostage-taking and holding, and anger towards its foremost public defender, "affected both the American government and the American people." Many academics and literary critiques have written and expressed their views on her published memoirs. Following this, "some ambassadors" in Tehran reportedly stated they would no "longer meet with her" and would "discourage official contract with her office." In her memoirs published as the "Grapes of Shahrivar", Ebtekar repeatedly refers to her cordial and official contacts with not only Western Ambassadors, but also many European Ministers and Presidents as well. (chapters 8-16-23-26-30-32-33)
On ]International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
in 1998, as vice-president of environmental affairs, she made a speech condemning the oppression of women by the Taliban Movement in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Her performance caused comment by members of the Western news media
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...
in attendance as she herself was wearing a chador
A chādor (Persian, ur, چادر, lit=tent), also variously spelled in English as chadah, chad(d)ar, chader, chud(d)ah, chadur, and naturalized as , is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many women in the Persian-influenced countries of Ira ...
, a reminder of compulsory hijab in Iran which many in the West view as a violation of women's rights.
In March 2002, Ebtekar was a keynote speaker at the Meeting of Women Leaders on the Environment in Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, sponsored by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. In September 2002, Ebtekar participated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. In May 2005, she chaired the International Conference on Environment, Peace, and the Dialogue Among Civilizations and Cultures, held in Tehran. This event was organized by Ebtekar's Department of the Environment and also by the United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
.
Vice presidency second term (2013–2017)
Ebtekar served as vice president and Head of the Department of Environment
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...
during the first term of President Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran fr ...
, 2013–2017. During this period in spite of immense challenges facing Iran's environment, and irrespective of the fierce opposition of rival political and special interests groups, great strides were taken to enhance environmental governance and stewardship. Twelve environmental bills, a strong chapter in the sixth National Development Plan and numerous directives and guidelines were implemented during this period, while national plans to enhance air quality were promoted through strong cross-sectoral, management leading to better air quality trends.
The national Low Carbon Economy Strategy was adopted; the Cabinet adopted its INDC and the Paris Agreement, which the Parliament also adopted. This led to important strides in renewable energy including more than 500 MW of new solar plants and much more underway. Restoration of wetlands according to ecosystem management schemes and local community participation was undertaken leading to revival of Houralazim wetland, designation of Hamoun as a Biosphere reserve and improvement of conditions in Urmia Lake and many other wetlands across Iran.
A major campaign to enhance environment education, inclusion of 56 cases of environment related text and publication of the first textbook "Humans and the Environment" are some of the steps taken in this regard.
A significant surge in the quantity and quality of civil society activism was the result of planning for enhanced nongovernmental organization participation in policy and oversight. During this term private sector involvement in the management of protected areas and managing wildlife conservation was promoted through legislation and incentives. Introducing local legislation for management schemes of national parks and protected areas and for wildlife and endangered species conservation schemes for the first time. Nature Rangers enjoyed high quality training and education programs while awareness campaigns led to improvements in their social status. International diplomacy in collaboration with UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
, UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
, JICA
The is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international co ...
, UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
led to many joint projects including participatory training for local farmers and villagers in Urumia basin area, Conservation of the Cheetah, Second International Seminar on Environment Religion and Culture, First UN Conference on Combating Dust
Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...
and Sand Storms, Project for Restoration of Anzali Wetland, Project for Coastal Zone Management Projects and many others.
The fifth international Green Film festival was revived, four rounds of International Environment Exhibition, four rounds of Green Industry Competition and Four Rounds of the National Environment Award was convened during this term. 20 Bilateral and multilateral MOUs were signed and implemented leading to more than 50 technical and educational workshops and sessions. Nationwide campaigns on "no to plastics", "reduction of waste", "and energy conservation", "no to food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
" and many others were supported and promoted. The National Committee on Sustainable Development was transformed into an efficient cross sectoral body to promote and monitor sustainability indicators at the national level.
Honors and awards
Ebtekar was named one of the seven 2006 Champions of the Earth
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors, and from civil society.
Award details
T ...
by the United Nations Environment Program
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
as a prominent and "inspirational" environmental leader who has made an impact at policy level in a region of the world. Ebtekar said that she believes the award was a team effort, earned by the scholars and experts that she assembled in her Department of the Environment. She names President Khatami as instrumental in stressing the importance of environmental initiatives. She was also named as one of 50 environmental leaders by ''The Guardian'' newspaper on January 5, 2008; the only Iranian or Muslim woman in the list.
In the 2012 edition o
The Muslim500
Ebtekar has been named as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world. Under the political section of this yearbook, Ebtekar is described as "a considerable force in the reformist movement in Iran".
On 24 January 2014, Ebtekar was awarded the Energy Globe Foundation Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award in Tehran.
On 29 November 2014, Masoumeh Ebtekar won the Italian Minerva Award for her scientific achievements and successful career in political arena. Minerva Award is a nongovernmental award established in 2009 in the name of Madame Anna Maria Mammoliti, Italian journalist and social activist after her death.
The Minerva Award has been presented to famous figures active in different social, economic, political and cultural fields, and the receivers have been mainly women.
In May 2016 Ebtekar was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science by the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea.
Post vice presidential activism
Ebtekar co-founded the Center for Peace and Environment in 2005, a non-governmental organization devoted to the promotion of just and sustainable peace and the protection of the environment. More than 120 experts and academicians are currently members of the center.
Ebtekar served as a moderator in June 2008 at the International "Women, Equality and Peace" Conference held in Oslo, Norway. The conference was sponsored by the Foundation for Dialogue Among Civilizations Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami introduced the idea of Dialogue Among Civilizations as a response to Samuel P. Huntington's theory of a Clash of Civilizations. The term was initially used by Austrian philosopher Hans Köchler who in 1972 ...
, Club de Madrid
Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 121 regular members from 72 countries, including 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 20 first female heads ...
and the Oslo Center The Oslo Center was founded by former Norwegian prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik in January 2006. The purpose of the center is to work for world peace, human rights and inter-religious tolerance worldwide. The center cooperates closely with the ...
.
Ebtekar considered for running in the 2009 presidential election after Guardian Council
The Guardian Council, (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, fa, شورای نگهبان, Shourā-ye Negahbān) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence i ...
indicated that there is no "legal restraint" against women doing so. However, she withdrew a few weeks before the election.
Ebtekar published her memoir as the first female Vice President of Iran, entitled the ''Grapes of Shahrivar'' on May 3, 2009.[ Published by Etelleat Newspaper Publishing House, the memoirs refer to the events of the reforms period in Iran.] She has also published a collection of her essays and speeches on the environment and sustainable development, called ''Natural Peace''. After leaving her government position in 2005, Ebtekar has spoken as inaugural or keynote speaker at many international events.
Membership in Tehran City Council
Ebtekar ran for and was elected to the city council of Tehran
The Islamic City Council of Tehran ( fa, شورای اسلامی شهر تهران) is the directly elected council that presides over the city of Tehran, elects the mayor of Tehran in a mayor–council government system, and budgets of the M ...
for the term beginning in 2007, coming in 9th out of 21 candidates, just after Parvin Ahmadinejad
Parvin Ahmadinejad ( fa, پروين احمدینژاد; born 3 February 1962) is an Iranian politician. She is the sister of former President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Career
Ahmedinejad served as an advisor at the presidential women office. She ...
, the sister of the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدینژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956), . She established and heads the Tehran City Council Environment Committee and currently runs 20 working groups on environmental issues.
After election to the City Council of Tehran in early 2007, Ebtekar began a weblog in Persian entitled "''EbtekareSabz''" under the free blog service Persianblog. In her blog she wrote 430 posts in environmental, political, social and women's issues, posted over 10,000 comments, the blog had one million viewers in 3.5 years. ''EbtekareSabz'', which criticized the policies of the government and supported the reformist movement in Iran, was filtered by the Government once in early 2010 and again in June 2010. and finally obstructed with a judicial verdict in August. Citing the "right to freedom of expression in our constitution" as her incentive, she continued blogging by setting up a new blog.
In 2009, the ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' described her as "informally represent ngthe views of many of the former hostage-takers", supporting "engagement with the West" and a renewal of the "original ideals of the revolution, including justice and freedom," which many of her peers believe have been abandoned by the current regime.
In May 2013, Ebtekar signed up as a candidate for Tehran in the 2013 local elections, along with hundreds of reformist candidates. During the vetting process that is conducted by government and Majlis representatives, the majority of candidates, including Ebtekar were disqualified. Ebtekar mentioned her harsh criticism of government policies leading to air pollution and the deterioration of environmental standards as the main reason for her disqualification. Candidates who have objected to their disqualification will be considered for a final round in the Supreme Council for Election Regulation. She was also one of Reformists' candidates as Mayor of Tehran
The Mayor of Tehran is an elected politician who, along with the City Council of 21 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Tehran. Since 2 September 2021, Alireza Zakani is the mayor of Tehran. Previously, the position was held b ...
. However, Mohsen Hashemi becomes the final's nominate.
Reappointment as Vice President
After Hassan Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...
elected Elected may refer to:
* "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973
* ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008
*The Elected, an American indie rock band
See also
*Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
as President of Iran
The president of Iran ( fa, رئیسجمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader.
The president i ...
, Ebtekar who supported Rouhani openly, was one of the candidates for the Ministry of Science A Science Ministry or Department of Science is a ministry or other government agency charged with science. The ministry is often headed by a Minister for Science.
List of Ministries of Science
Many countries have a Ministry of Science or Ministry ...
. However, she was appointed as Head of Environmental Protection Organization on 10 September 2013, a position she had formerly served for eight years under Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
. On 1 August 2017, Ebtekar announced that she will be leaving her current position after the end of the first Rouhani government. She was appointed as Women Affairs's vice president in second Rouhani government.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Iranian state media announced that Ebtekar had been diagnosed with COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The infection was described as mild and she was not admitted to hospital. On 11 March, Ebtekar tweeted that she had recovered from the virus.
Books
In 2010 Ebtekar contributed to ''Moral Ground'' a testimony of over eighty visionaries—theologians and religious leaders, scientists, elected officials, business leaders, naturalists, activists, and writers—to present a diverse and compelling call to honor our individual and collective moral responsibility to our planet. In her essay entitled "Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine" Ebtekar provides her views on the interrelated nature of peace and sustainable development. She also took part in a project to develop a book entitled ''Women, Power and Politics in 21st Century Iran''. The book, published in 2012 by Ashgate, provides an objective perspective on the conditions of women in Iran. Chapter 10 titled "Women and the Environment" has been authored by Massoumeh Ebtekar. In 2011 Ebtekar also co-authored a chapter in the book ''Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells'' published by Springer. Chapter 3 "Characteristics of Cord Blood Cells" is a review performed by a team of researchers in Iran.
See also
* List of scientific misconduct incidents
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in the publication of professional scientific research. A '' Lancet'' review on ''Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries ...
References
External links
Masumeh Ebtekar's Blog in English – Called "Persian Paradox"
Masumeh Ebtekar's Researchgate Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebtekar, Masoumeh
Iranian bloggers
1960 births
Living people
Environmental bloggers
Female vice presidents of Iran
Heads of Department of Environment (Iran)
Islamic Iran Participation Front politicians
Iranian environmentalists
Iranian immunologists
Iranian women physicians
Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
People involved in scientific misconduct incidents
Tarbiat Modares University alumni
Tehran Councillors 2007–2013
Iranian women bloggers
Women vice presidents
20th-century Iranian physicians
21st-century Iranian physicians
21st-century Iranian women politicians
21st-century Iranian politicians
Magazine publishers (people)
Vice presidents of Iran for Women and Family Affairs
Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun