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 an Iranian politician. She is known for being a Reformist. 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 part of it. She was also the first woman to join the cabinet since the Islamic 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, which happened from November 1979 to January 1981, Ebtekar was a spokesperson. She spoke for the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line. American news often called her "Mary" or "Sister Mary." She was known for speaking in American English on broadcasts. She and other students took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. They held American citizens captive for 444 days. This event was approved by Ruhollah Khomeini, who was then the Supreme Leader of Iran. The hostage crisis led to ongoing disagreements between Iran and the United States.

From 2007 to 2013, Ebtekar was a member of the Islamic City Council of Tehran. In 1998, she joined a political group called the Islamic Iran Participation Front. This group was later banned in 2010. Since then, she has been part of the Union of Islamic Iran People Party.

Early Life and Education

Masoumeh Niloufar Ebtekar was born in Tehran into a middle-class family. Her first name, Niloufar, means "Innocent Water Lily" in English. Her father studied in the United States. She lived with her parents in Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, for six years. During this time, she learned to speak "near-perfect, American-accented English."

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

Academic Career

Ebtekar is a faculty member at Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran. This university focuses on postgraduate studies. As a Professor of Immunology, she has taught and guided many PhD and MSc students. Ebtekar teaches about topics like cytokines, viral immunology, and the immunology of the nervous system. She has published many scientific articles in 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. She reviews articles for both international and national immunology journals. In January 2019, she became a full Professor.

Scientific Work and a Past Issue

In 2008, a review paper published by Masoumeh Ebtekar was found to be very similar to other published articles. The paper was about cytokines and air pollution. The journal that published her article later said they were sorry for the duplication. In December 2008, Ebtekar's article was removed from the journal.

Ebtekar later said 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 on April 29, 2014. Ebtekar spoke at the opening ceremony. She introduced Rolf M. Zinkernagel, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, as a special guest.

Political Career

Journalism and Community Work

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 chosen to lead the Women's NGO Coordinating Office. She also helped with the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Later, she became the President of the Network of Women's NGOs in Iran.

In 2005, Ebtekar helped create the Center for Peace and Environment. This group works to protect the environment. In June 2008, she led a discussion at an international conference in Oslo, Norway. The conference was about "Women, Equality and Peace."

Ebtekar thought about running for president in the 2009 Iranian presidential election. However, she decided not to a few weeks before the election. In May 2009, she published her memoir, a book about her life, called The Grapes of Shahrivar. She also published a book of her writings and speeches on the environment, called Natural Peace.

Role in the Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981)

Ebtekar was a spokesperson during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. During this time, students took over the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans captive for 444 days. She was chosen because she spoke English well. She often appeared on American television to explain the students' views. Foreign news reporters called her "Mary."

Ebtekar wrote a book about the embassy takeover with Fred A. Reed. It was called Takeover in Tehran: The Inside Story of the 1979 U.S. Embassy Capture.

In the 2012 movie Argo, Ebtekar was played by Nikka Far. In the movie credits, she was called "Tehran Mary."

Head of the Department of Environment (1997–2005)

Ebtekar with Austrian foreign minister Sebastian Kurz in 2016

Ebtekar was the first woman to serve as vice-president of Iran. This happened when the reformist political group came to power. She and Zahra Shojaei were the first women in the cabinet since the Islamic Revolution. Ebtekar led the Department of Environment for eight years. During her time, she made big changes to how the department worked. She also helped people become more aware of environmental issues.

On International Women's Day in 1998, she gave a speech. She spoke out against the way women were treated by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In March 2002, Ebtekar was a main speaker at a meeting for women leaders on the environment in Helsinki. In September 2002, she took part in a big meeting about sustainable development in South Africa. In May 2005, she led an international conference in Tehran about environment, peace, and understanding between different cultures.

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

Ebtekar ran for the city council of Tehran in 2007 and was elected. She came in 9th place. She started and led the Tehran City Council Environment Committee. This committee works on many environmental topics.

In 2007, Ebtekar started a blog in Persian called "EbtekareSabz." On her blog, she wrote about environmental, political, social, and women's issues. Her blog was very popular, getting over a million views in three and a half years. The blog often criticized government policies and supported the reformist movement. Because of this, the government blocked her blog several times. She continued blogging by starting a new one.

In May 2013, Ebtekar signed up to be a candidate for the 2013 Iranian local elections. However, she and many other reformist candidates were not allowed to run. Ebtekar 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 during the first term of President Rouhani, from 2013 to 2017. During this time, despite many challenges, great progress was made in protecting Iran's environment. Many new environmental laws and plans were put into action. National plans to improve air quality also led to better air conditions.

A plan for a Low Carbon Economy was adopted. Steps were taken to increase renewable energy, like building new solar power plants. Efforts were made to restore wetlands, which are important natural areas. This helped improve places like Urmia Lake.

A big effort was made to teach people about the environment. This included adding environmental topics to textbooks. More people also became involved in environmental groups. During this time, private companies were encouraged to help manage protected areas and protect wildlife. International groups like UNEP and UNDP worked with Iran on many projects. These included training farmers and protecting endangered species like the Cheetah.

The fifth international Green Film festival was brought back. There were also several International Environment Exhibitions and Green Industry Competitions. Many agreements were signed with other countries to work together on environmental issues. Campaigns like "no to plastics" and "reduction of waste" were supported.

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

After Hassan Rouhani was elected as President of Iran, Ebtekar openly supported him. She was appointed as Vice President for Women and Family Affairs in Rouhani's second government.

During her four years in this role, many steps were taken to help women. For example, 176 indicators were adopted to measure gender equality. Each of Iran's 31 provinces created a plan to help women and families. Progress on these plans was tracked online. In 2017, President Rouhani set a goal for 30% of decision-making positions in his government to be held by women. This led to many women being appointed to important roles. The percentage of women in decision-making positions grew from 5% in 2013 to 25% in 2021.

During this time, 12 new laws were proposed or adopted to help women. One important bill was about preventing violence against women. Another bill, known as the Roumina Bill, aimed to give harsher punishments for fathers who harm their children. A bill allowing mothers to manage their children's bank accounts was also proposed. More than 900 old rules about women and family were reviewed and updated.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Iranian state media announced that Ebtekar had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Her infection was mild, and she did not need to go to the hospital. On March 11, 2020, Ebtekar tweeted that she had recovered from the virus.

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 important environmental leaders. Ebtekar said she believed the award was a team effort. In 2008, The Guardian newspaper named her one of 50 environmental leaders. She was the only Iranian or Muslim woman on the list.

In 2012 and 2023, Ebtekar was named one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world by The Muslim500. She is described as a "considerable force" in Iran's reformist movement.

On January 24, 2014, Ebtekar received the Energy Globe Foundation Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award in Tehran. On November 29, 2014, she won the Italian Minerva Award for her scientific achievements and political career. In May 2016, Ebtekar received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Political Science from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea.

Published Works

In 2010, Ebtekar wrote an essay for a book called Moral Ground. Her essay, "Peace and Sustainability Depend on the Spiritual and the Feminine," shared her ideas on how peace and sustainable development are connected. She also contributed to a book published in 2012 called Women, Power and Politics in 21st Century Iran. Her chapter was titled "Women and the Environment." In 2011, Ebtekar also helped write a chapter in a book called Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells.

See also

• List of female members of the Cabinet of Iran