Munich  - Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi has been awarded this year's Tolerance Prize by the Protestant Academy in Tutzing for her human rights activities.

The academy praised the Tehran lawyer for defending government opponents and dissidents despite being arrested, receiving death threats and being banned from carrying out her profession.

The academy said Wednesday that Shirin will receive the award, worth 10,000 euros (15,000 dollars), at a ceremony on October 1 during which former German president Roman Herzog will deliver the keynote speech.

Ebadi, 60, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for championing human rights and democracy. She was the first Muslim woman to receive the honour.

The Tutzing jury said that Ebadi, as a practising Muslim, was convinced there was no contradiction between correctly understood Islam and human rights.

She believed a reform-oriented Islam was essential in the struggle against political and religious fundamentalism in the Islamic world, the citation added.

Previous winners of the prize, which is awarded every two years, are Herzog, conductor Daniel Barenboim, Swedish author Henning Mankell and the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims. (dpa)