Masoumeh Ebtekar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Masoumeh Ebtekar
معصومه ابتکار
Ebtekar in 2015
Vice President for Women and Family Affairs
In office 9 August 2017 – 1 September 2021
President	Hassan Rouhani
Preceded by	Shahindokht Molaverdi
Succeeded by	Ensieh Khazali
Head of the Department of Environment
In office 10 September 2013 – 13 August 2017
President	Hassan Rouhani
Preceded by	Javad Mohammadizadeh
Succeeded by	Isa Kalantari
In office 23 August 1997 – 7 September 2005
President	Mohammad Khatami
Preceded by	Hadi Manafi
Succeeded by	Fatemeh Javadi
Member of the Islamic City Council of Tehran
In office 29 April 2007 – 3 September 2013
Majority	232,959 (14.06%)
Personal details
Born	(1960-09-21) 21 September 1960 (age 64) Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Political party	Islamic Iran Participation Front (1998–2010) Union of Islamic Iran People Party (2010–present)
Spouse	Mohammad Hashemi ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	2
Parents	Taghi Ebtekar (father) Fatemeh Barzegar (mother)
Alma mater	Shahid Beheshti University (BSc) Tarbiat Modares University (MSc, PhD)
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Masoumeh Ebtekar (Persian: معصومه ابتکار; born 21 September 1960) is a well-known Iranian politician. She is part of the Reformist group. She led Iran's Department of Environment from 1997 to 2005, and again from 2013 to 2017. After that, she became the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs from 2017 to 2021.

When she joined the Cabinet of Iran in 1997, she was the third woman ever to be a cabinet member in Iran. She was also the first woman to hold such a high position since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Today, she is a full-time professor in the Immunology Department at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran.

During the Iran hostage crisis (1979-1981), Ebtekar was a spokesperson for the students involved. She was sometimes called "Mary" or "Sister Mary" by the American media. She spoke on TV in American English. This event led to ongoing difficulties between Iran and the United States.

From 2007 to 2013, Ebtekar was a member of the Islamic City Council of Tehran. She joined the Islamic Iran Participation Front in 1998. After that party was banned in 2010, she became involved with the Union of Islamic Iran People Party.

Early Life and Education

Masoumeh Niloufar Ebtekar was born in Tehran in 1960. Her first name, Niloufar, means "Innocent Water Lily" in English. When she was young, she lived in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, for six years because her father studied at the University of Pennsylvania. During this time, she learned to speak English very well with an American accent.

After returning to Iran, she went to Iranzamin (Tehran International School). As a student, she became interested in the political ideas of Ali Shariati. She started wearing a traditional black chador, which covers everything except the face.

Ebtekar has a bachelor's degree in laboratory science from Shahid Beheshti University. She also earned her master's and PhD degrees in immunology from Tarbiat Modares University in 1995. She still teaches there today. Ebtekar is married to Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi, who is a businessman. They have two children.

Academic Career

Ebtekar is a professor at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, which is a university for advanced studies. As an Immunology Professor, she has taught and guided many PhD and master's students. She teaches about topics like cytokines, viral immunology, HIV vaccines, and the immune system's connection to the nervous system.

She has published many scientific articles in the field of immunology. In a speech, she talked about how international restrictions can make it harder for science to grow in Iran. She believes these restrictions should not harm entire nations. Ebtekar is also part of several research groups and reviews papers for science journals. In 2019, she became a full professor.

Scientific Work and a Past Issue

In 2008, a review paper she published in 2006 was found to have parts that were very similar to other published articles. The journal that published her paper later removed it. Ebtekar stated that she had made a mistake and apologized for it. She explained that it was a review article she was asked to write.

Leading an Immunology Congress

In 2013, Ebtekar was chosen to be the President of the 12th International Congress of Immunology. This big meeting was held in April 2014. She gave the opening speech and welcomed Rolf M. Zinkernagel, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, as a special guest.

Political Career

Journalism and Non-Governmental Organizations

In 1981, Ebtekar became the editor-in-chief of an English newspaper called Kayhan International. She worked there until 1983. In 1991, she helped start the Institute for Women's Studies and Research. Since 1992, she has been in charge of the Farzaneh Journal for Women's Studies and Research.

In 1995, Ebtekar was made the Head of the Women's NGO Coordinating Office. She also helped lead the National Committee for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Later, she was elected as the President of the Network of Women's NGOs in Iran.

In 2005, Ebtekar co-founded the Center for Peace and Environment. This group works to promote peace and protect the environment. Many experts and academics are members of this center. In 2008, she helped lead a conference in Oslo, Norway, about "Women, Equality and Peace."

Ebtekar thought about running in the 2009 Iranian presidential election but decided not to a few weeks before the election. In 2009, she published her memoir, Grapes of Shahrivar, about her time as the first female Vice President of Iran. She also wrote a book called Natural Peace, which is a collection of her writings and speeches on the environment.

Role in the Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981)

During the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, Ebtekar was the spokesperson for the students who took over the US Embassy. These students held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. She was chosen because she spoke English very well. She often appeared on American television to explain the students' views. She was sometimes called "Mary" by the foreign press.

Ebtekar wrote a book about the embassy takeover with Fred A. Reed called Takeover in Tehran: The Inside Story of the 1979 U.S. Embassy Capture. In the 2012 film Argo, a character called "Tehran Mary" was based on her.

Head of the Department of Environment (1997–2005)

Ebtekar with Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz in 2016

Ebtekar became the first woman to serve as vice-president of Iran when the reformist government came to power. She was one of the first women in the cabinet since the Islamic Revolution. She led the Department of Environment for eight years. During her time, she made important changes to how the government handled environmental issues. She also helped increase awareness about the environment and support for groups working on these issues.

In 1998, on International Women's Day, she gave a speech criticizing how women were treated by the Taliban in Afghanistan. This was noted by Western media, as she herself wore a chador, which is a reminder of compulsory hijab in Iran.

In 2002, Ebtekar was a main speaker at a meeting of women leaders on the environment in Helsinki. She also took part in the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa. In 2005, she led an international conference in Tehran about environment, peace, and dialogue between cultures. This event was organized by her department and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Member of the Islamic City Council of Tehran (2007–2013)

Ebtekar was elected to the city council of Tehran in 2007. She started and led the Tehran City Council Environment Committee. This committee had 20 working groups focused on environmental issues.

In 2007, Ebtekar started a blog in Persian called "EbtekareSabz." She wrote about environmental, political, social, and women's issues. Her blog was very popular, but it was blocked by the government several times because it criticized government policies. She continued blogging by starting a new one.

In 2013, Ebtekar tried to run for local elections in Tehran. However, she and many other reformist candidates were not allowed to run. She believed this was because she had strongly criticized government policies that led to air pollution and environmental problems.

Head of the Department of Environment (2013–2017)

Ebtekar served as vice president and Head of the Department of Environment again during President Hassan Rouhani's first term (2013–2017). Even though Iran faced big environmental challenges, and despite opposition, great progress was made.

During this time, twelve environmental laws were passed. Important steps were taken to improve air quality. A national plan for a Low Carbon Economy was adopted, and Iran joined the Paris Agreement on climate change. This led to more renewable energy projects, like new solar power plants. Efforts were made to restore wetlands, helping places like Houralazim wetland and Urmia Lake.

A major effort was made to improve environmental education. A textbook called "Humans and the Environment" was published. More non-governmental organizations (NGOs) became involved in environmental policy. Private companies were encouraged to help manage protected areas and wildlife conservation. Park rangers received better training. International cooperation with groups like UNEP and UNDP led to many joint projects, including training for farmers and efforts to conserve the cheetah.

The fifth international Green Film festival was restarted. Four rounds of the International Environment Exhibition and the National Environment Award were held. Many agreements were signed with other countries, leading to technical and educational workshops. Campaigns like "no to plastics" and "reduction of waste" were supported. The National Committee on Sustainable Development became more effective in tracking environmental progress.

Vice President for Women and Family Affairs (2017–2021)

After Hassan Rouhani was elected President of Iran, Ebtekar was appointed as Vice President for Women and Family Affairs in his second government. During her four years in this role, several important things happened:

• 176 indicators for Gender Equity were adopted.
• Each of Iran's 31 provinces created a plan for Women and Family Advancement.
• An online system was set up to track progress on gender equity.
• President Rouhani set a goal for 30% of decision-making positions in his government to be held by women. This led to 8,400 women being appointed to various roles, including 2 as Vice Presidents and 5 as Ambassadors for the first time. The percentage of women in decision-making roles increased from 5% in 2013 to 25% in 2021.
• 12 new laws to help women were proposed or passed. These included a bill to prevent violence against women and a law to support children. Another bill allowed mothers to manage their children's bank accounts. More than 900 older rules about women and family were also reviewed and updated.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, it was announced that Ebtekar had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Her infection was mild, and she recovered.

Awards and Honours

In 2006, Ebtekar was named one of the seven "Champions of the Earth" by the United Nations Environment Program. This award recognizes inspirational environmental leaders who make a big impact. Ebtekar said the award was a team effort, earned by the experts she worked with. She also mentioned President Khatami's role in emphasizing environmental initiatives.

In 2008, The Guardian newspaper named her one of the 50 environmental leaders, the only Iranian or Muslim woman on the list. In 2012 and 2023, she was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by The Muslim500. They described her as a "considerable force in the reformist movement in Iran."

In 2014, Ebtekar received the Energy Globe Foundation Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award in Tehran. In the same year, she won the Italian Minerva Award for her scientific achievements and political career. This award is given to important figures, mainly women, in various fields. In 2016, she received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea.

Published Works

In 2010, Ebtekar wrote a chapter in a book called Moral Ground. In her essay, "Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine," she shared her ideas on how peace and sustainable development are connected. She also helped create a book called Women, Power and Politics in 21st Century Iran, published in 2012. She wrote Chapter 10, "Women and the Environment." In 2011, Ebtekar also co-authored a chapter in the book Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells.

See also

• List of female members of the Cabinet of Iran