Written by Syed Mujahid Ali/Adnan Farooq
Thursday, 16 October 2014 17:02
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Will you explain to us the procedure followed by the Noble Committee when it grants the Noble Peace Prize?
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Storting (Norwegian parliament). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
The process of selecting the candidates starts almost a year prior to the announcement. Suggestions are received by the 1st of February every year. Committee members can add further names to the list in a meeting held after this date. However, after this date the nomination process is closed. In the period February to March the candidates are shortlisted. Normally 20-25 candidates are selected for further consideration. Then the Nobel Committee’s experts or advisors give their opinion. These experts are normally Norwegian academics with knowledge in different fields. In certain cases, the Committee administration also gets opinion from international experts. This process is completed by September. The Committee then meets in the first week of October to select the winning candidate for that year.
Traditionally, the Committee tries to make a unanimous decision, but if that is not possiblethe winner is selected on the basis of majority opinion. The decision is announced on the 10th of October each year.
Who nominates the possible winners of the Noble Peace Prize?
The following can nominate a candidate for the Peace Prize:
Members of national assemblies and governments of states; Members of international courts; University rectors; Professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; Directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes; Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Board members of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (proposals by members of the Committee need to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after the 1st of February); Former advisors to the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Is it true that former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was also nominated for the Noble Peace Prize?
There is a fifty-year secrecy rule regarding the nominees of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee itself never announces the names of the nominees—neither to the media nor to the candidates themselves. Speculations in this respect are normally either guesswork or the result of disclosure by persons who have nominated the candidate. Therefore, it is not possible for me to confirm if the former Chief Justice was nominated or not. Information in the Nobel Committees’ nomination database is not made public until after fifty years.
Many in Pakistan have been questioning the wisdom of granting the Noble Peace Prize to Malala. Why, for instance, ask these critics, was Malala preferred over noted philanthropist Maulana Abdul SattarEdhi?
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded according to the will of Alfred Nobel. The will states that award shall be given:
“to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses”
The Nobel Committee has redefined this part of will, and has awarded the prize to people or organizations who according to them work towards eliminating causes giving birth to conflicts or wars. There is an intense debate within and outside Norway regarding this interpretation of the Committee. Many believe that the prize must go to a person who has played an active role in reducing armies or in stopping a war or an armed conflict.
Given this background, Maulana Abdul SattarEidhi and his welfare work does not fall under the defined criteria, although he remains a great man and an institution in his own capacity. This year’s prize has been awarded to KailashSatyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their work for the rights of children. The Committee means that through this work these two have contributed greatly in achieving harmony in the world.
I personally believe that giving this prize to Malala is correct decision even if one follows Alfred Nobel’s will strictly. She is not merely an education activist, but courageouslyshe stood up to one of the greatest dangers to world peace today—extremists such as the Taliban. She has become a symbol of resistance to extremists and their warmongering. There have been reports in Norway that Malala was an extremely strong candidate even in 2013 but was not given the prize due to her young age. She was only sixteen then.
Tell us about media debates in Norway, if any, that routinely mark the occasion of the announcement of the Noble Peace Prize? Any debates over the Malala decision? Is it an attempt to win Pakistani voters who constitute the biggest migrant community in the country?
It is farfetched to state that the Nobel Committee selects a candidate to woo voters for a political party in Norwegian elections. Firstly, the government or political parties have no influence on the decisions of the Nobel Committee. Secondly, there are members of different political affiliations in the committee. It is unthinkable that they sit down to make a decision about the biggest peace prize in the world and have their constituency in mind. Thirdly, apart from greater Oslo,Pakistani immigrants are not concentrated in any other part of the country. Since there is proportional voting system in Norway where parties get seats according to the votes cast in their favour, immigrants cannot have much influence, especially in national elections—even if they function as one group and that is also unimaginable.
Within Norway, there is traditionally a debate about the merits and demerits of a decision of the Nobel Committee. Many a times, the Committee’s decision is bitterly criticized. However, this time the Norwegian media and the politicians have welcomed the decision. Almost all comments have been positive and supportive.
Malala has requested Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to attend the Noble Prize award ceremony. Has there been any reaction to her suggestion in Norwegian media?
I have not read any big discussion on that topic in Norway. But the suggestion has been mentioned in press reports. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee was also asked about the invitation at the startof his official visit to Norway on October 13. He refused to comment on it and said that it was up to the Prime Ministers of both countries to make the decision. He congratulated the Nobel Committee in its decision to award this year’s prize to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzaiand said that Malala was a brave girl who stood up for the cause of education despite threats to her life.
While many in Pakistan have welcomed and celebrated Malala’s peace prize, conservative circles and even the Taliban have criticized the decision. Any anti-Malala voices in Norway?
As I mentioned above, in Norway, support for awarding the prize to Malala is almost unanimous. There is a strong feeling that she has been awarded this prize for her courage and campaign against the methods and the cruelty of the Taliban. She was attacked by the Taliban in 2012 and barely survived the attack. She is under constant threat from extremists even now. Despite that, she stands bravely for the cause of girls’ right to education. She even travelled to Nigeria to reject Boko Haram’s methods and kidnapping of schoolgirls. The Malala Fund is also sponsoring a girl’s school in Nigeria.
One critic says:‘Malala is remarkable, but we must resist the urge to make her exceptional. There is a long legacy to the exceptionalizing narrative when it comes to Muslims, and it works like this: “The majority of folks ‘over there’ are either monsters or victims. Every now and then, there is an isolated solitary hero that stands against that. That hero supports‘our’ values”. That tendency to view the lone solitary hero(ine) of the Muslim masses, the need to have the solitary exceptional Muslim is part of the “good Muslim/bad Muslim” game. And we are done playing these games.’Your comments?
Firstly, the author of this note fails to register that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to “one Muslim and one Hindu, an Indian and a Pakistani”. Therefore, there is no reason to apply this conspiracy theory to this case. Secondly, the comment also fails to note that the prize is not awarded for making Malala exceptional—she already was. That could be said about Satyarthi though, who was little known for his work in and outside India. Since he is a Hindu, the theory does not fit. Thirdly, this whole statement is based on the traditional conservative mind-set of ours that there is always a big intrigue against Pakistan and Muslims in all Western capitals. I do not buy conspiracy theories. Fourthly, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year. Malala is only the seventh Muslim to get this Prize in the 114-year-old history of Nobel Peace Prizes. That is hardly the due share of Muslims if we see it in light of their population ratio in the world.The Nobel Peace Prize has earned its good name over the years because its integrity and neutrality is protected. It is an extreme view that the prize is political and awarded to safeguard the West’s political interests.
Will you explain to us the procedure followed by the Noble Committee when it grants the Noble Peace Prize?
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for the selection of eligible candidates and the choice of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The Committee is composed of five members appointed by the Storting (Norwegian parliament). The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway.
The process of selecting the candidates starts almost a year prior to the announcement. Suggestions are received by the 1st of February every year. Committee members can add further names to the list in a meeting held after this date. However, after this date the nomination process is closed. In the period February to March the candidates are shortlisted. Normally 20-25 candidates are selected for further consideration. Then the Nobel Committee’s experts or advisors give their opinion. These experts are normally Norwegian academics with knowledge in different fields. In certain cases, the Committee administration also gets opinion from international experts. This process is completed by September. The Committee then meets in the first week of October to select the winning candidate for that year.
Traditionally, the Committee tries to make a unanimous decision, but if that is not possiblethe winner is selected on the basis of majority opinion. The decision is announced on the 10th of October each year.
Who nominates the possible winners of the Noble Peace Prize?
The following can nominate a candidate for the Peace Prize:
Members of national assemblies and governments of states; Members of international courts; University rectors; Professors of social sciences, history, philosophy, law and theology; Directors of peace research institutes and foreign policy institutes; Persons who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Board members of organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Active and former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (proposals by members of the Committee need to be submitted no later than at the first meeting of the Committee after the 1st of February); Former advisors to the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Is it true that former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was also nominated for the Noble Peace Prize?
There is a fifty-year secrecy rule regarding the nominees of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee itself never announces the names of the nominees—neither to the media nor to the candidates themselves. Speculations in this respect are normally either guesswork or the result of disclosure by persons who have nominated the candidate. Therefore, it is not possible for me to confirm if the former Chief Justice was nominated or not. Information in the Nobel Committees’ nomination database is not made public until after fifty years.
Many in Pakistan have been questioning the wisdom of granting the Noble Peace Prize to Malala. Why, for instance, ask these critics, was Malala preferred over noted philanthropist Maulana Abdul SattarEdhi?
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded according to the will of Alfred Nobel. The will states that award shall be given:
“to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses”
The Nobel Committee has redefined this part of will, and has awarded the prize to people or organizations who according to them work towards eliminating causes giving birth to conflicts or wars. There is an intense debate within and outside Norway regarding this interpretation of the Committee. Many believe that the prize must go to a person who has played an active role in reducing armies or in stopping a war or an armed conflict.
Given this background, Maulana Abdul SattarEidhi and his welfare work does not fall under the defined criteria, although he remains a great man and an institution in his own capacity. This year’s prize has been awarded to KailashSatyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their work for the rights of children. The Committee means that through this work these two have contributed greatly in achieving harmony in the world.
I personally believe that giving this prize to Malala is correct decision even if one follows Alfred Nobel’s will strictly. She is not merely an education activist, but courageouslyshe stood up to one of the greatest dangers to world peace today—extremists such as the Taliban. She has become a symbol of resistance to extremists and their warmongering. There have been reports in Norway that Malala was an extremely strong candidate even in 2013 but was not given the prize due to her young age. She was only sixteen then.
Tell us about media debates in Norway, if any, that routinely mark the occasion of the announcement of the Noble Peace Prize? Any debates over the Malala decision? Is it an attempt to win Pakistani voters who constitute the biggest migrant community in the country?
It is farfetched to state that the Nobel Committee selects a candidate to woo voters for a political party in Norwegian elections. Firstly, the government or political parties have no influence on the decisions of the Nobel Committee. Secondly, there are members of different political affiliations in the committee. It is unthinkable that they sit down to make a decision about the biggest peace prize in the world and have their constituency in mind. Thirdly, apart from greater Oslo,Pakistani immigrants are not concentrated in any other part of the country. Since there is proportional voting system in Norway where parties get seats according to the votes cast in their favour, immigrants cannot have much influence, especially in national elections—even if they function as one group and that is also unimaginable.
Within Norway, there is traditionally a debate about the merits and demerits of a decision of the Nobel Committee. Many a times, the Committee’s decision is bitterly criticized. However, this time the Norwegian media and the politicians have welcomed the decision. Almost all comments have been positive and supportive.
Malala has requested Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to attend the Noble Prize award ceremony. Has there been any reaction to her suggestion in Norwegian media?
I have not read any big discussion on that topic in Norway. But the suggestion has been mentioned in press reports. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee was also asked about the invitation at the startof his official visit to Norway on October 13. He refused to comment on it and said that it was up to the Prime Ministers of both countries to make the decision. He congratulated the Nobel Committee in its decision to award this year’s prize to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzaiand said that Malala was a brave girl who stood up for the cause of education despite threats to her life.
While many in Pakistan have welcomed and celebrated Malala’s peace prize, conservative circles and even the Taliban have criticized the decision. Any anti-Malala voices in Norway?
As I mentioned above, in Norway, support for awarding the prize to Malala is almost unanimous. There is a strong feeling that she has been awarded this prize for her courage and campaign against the methods and the cruelty of the Taliban. She was attacked by the Taliban in 2012 and barely survived the attack. She is under constant threat from extremists even now. Despite that, she stands bravely for the cause of girls’ right to education. She even travelled to Nigeria to reject Boko Haram’s methods and kidnapping of schoolgirls. The Malala Fund is also sponsoring a girl’s school in Nigeria.
One critic says:‘Malala is remarkable, but we must resist the urge to make her exceptional. There is a long legacy to the exceptionalizing narrative when it comes to Muslims, and it works like this: “The majority of folks ‘over there’ are either monsters or victims. Every now and then, there is an isolated solitary hero that stands against that. That hero supports‘our’ values”. That tendency to view the lone solitary hero(ine) of the Muslim masses, the need to have the solitary exceptional Muslim is part of the “good Muslim/bad Muslim” game. And we are done playing these games.’Your comments?
Firstly, the author of this note fails to register that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to “one Muslim and one Hindu, an Indian and a Pakistani”. Therefore, there is no reason to apply this conspiracy theory to this case. Secondly, the comment also fails to note that the prize is not awarded for making Malala exceptional—she already was. That could be said about Satyarthi though, who was little known for his work in and outside India. Since he is a Hindu, the theory does not fit. Thirdly, this whole statement is based on the traditional conservative mind-set of ours that there is always a big intrigue against Pakistan and Muslims in all Western capitals. I do not buy conspiracy theories. Fourthly, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year. Malala is only the seventh Muslim to get this Prize in the 114-year-old history of Nobel Peace Prizes. That is hardly the due share of Muslims if we see it in light of their population ratio in the world.The Nobel Peace Prize has earned its good name over the years because its integrity and neutrality is protected. It is an extreme view that the prize is political and awarded to safeguard the West’s political interests.
SOURCE: http://www.viewpointonline.net/2014/10/vp223/eidhi-s-welfare-work-does-not-meet-noble-s-criteria
