Shirin Ebadi, one of the Time magazine's "100 Heroes and Icons", is having a lecture tour in North America. She will have her first lecture on "Islam, Democracy and Human Rights" in Comcast Center, at University of Maryland on next wednesday May 12 .

It is interesting to know that Dr. Ahmad Karimi-Hakak, the famous writer-transaltor, who appears to be her tour organizer will be announced as the the first director of the new university Persian studies center on the same day. About 8000 tickets for the lecture have been claimed so far.