On May 16, 2007, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer, human rights activist and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the 61st General Assembly of the United Nations, were honored with a dinner hosted by the Rutgers Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Dr. Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts in support of democracy and human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. She is the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize. H.E. Sheikha Haya is a lawyer and a human rights activist, as well as legal counsel to Bahrain's royal court. She is the first woman in nearly forty years to be elected president of the UN General Assembly, and only the third woman to hold this position in the history of the UN. The two took part in a panel discussion with members of the Rutgers faculty, including Dr. Charlotte Bunch (Center for Women's Global Leadership) and Dr. Mary Hartman (History). The event was extremely well attended, with over 300 participants.