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Student Reactions to Ahmadinejad's Speech
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 25, 2007
I came out of the dialogue among University President Lee Bollinger, President Ahmadinejad, and the Columbia community entirely impressed by all parties involved. Given such a unique opportunity, the general student body and the speakers afforded the height of respect and patience to one another, and while each was receptive to the claims being made by the opposing sides, at no point did the interlocutors defend their own views any less fiercely, for the sake of appeasement. While the dissonance between the questions posed and the answers received demonstrate that the intent of the University in hosting this event and that of Mr. Ahmadinejad in agreeing to it were very different, much was absorbed by the latter's words.
The president of Iran entered an environment entirely hostile to him, only to silence thousands of students—and, at several occasions, gain their applause—with the poignancy and thoughtfulness of his speech, which was mostly directed towards hypocrisy in the United States government. Though this in no way excuses the innumerable atrocities he has committed against humanity (which he never directly addressed), it forced the audience members to consider their own definition of morality, and the platform from which they defend it.
The fact that herds of people who went into the affair with such strong convictions left with more questions than answers illuminates the complexity of the current matters involving the Middle East and the entire global community. It demonstrated how similar dialogue must continue to take place in order for us to better understand our adversaries, as opposed to mindlessly dismissing them as "crazy." I believe that every person who witnessed the discussion, regardless of background or partiality prior to it, left feeling satisfied and grateful that it took place.
President Bollinger, as an educator and not a politician, should be applauded for trusting Columbians to be responsible and listen to opinions quite radically different from their own, critically digest them, and react from an open-minded and responsible perspective, as opposed to a purely emotional one. The students met this challenge with grace. While isolating themselves from the criticisms, protests, politics, and outrage from the entire global community, Columbia affiliates demonstrated the maxim of free speech at its best, and I'm honored to consider myself among them.
Charlotte Chiang, CC '09
What an embarrassment the President was today. And I don't mean Iran's President—I mean Columbia's.
How was academic freedom possibly advanced, let alone evidenced, by the spectacle of Columbia as the forum for Ahmadinejad to assure us that there are no homosexuals in Iran? But maybe there aren't, at least not outside of prisons and certainly not after they've been beheaded, both well-documented occurrences. Or perhaps I'm wrong about all this, and in fact Ahmadinejad, having now invited the Columbia community to visit Iran, would be happy for some research to be done on the phenomenon of disappearing homosexuals. I suppose that would balance his call for more research into the Holocaust. Except of course we know, and we knew before he soiled the campus, that Ahmadinejad isn't a truth-seeker but a truth-hater.
So honestly, why can't President Bollinger see what a disgrace this all was? His pat answer that we are called upon to tolerate "odious" opinions in the name of academic freedom is at best a defense of Ahmadinejad's right to voice his views from a soapbox in Times Square—and let's hope that he does—not a defense of academic freedom, whose precondition, a common consensus on the value of seeking the truth, was not met today.
The University's trust was abused by permitting today's event to occur. It is therefore President Bollinger, not Ahmadinejad, who shamed Columbia today.
Michael Straus, GSAS
For the first four years of Lee Bollinger's presidency, I was one of his toughest public critics. In news articles and, later, editorials for this newspaper, I questioned his weak stance on the MEALAC controversy and lambasted his secretive dealings on the proposed campus expansion to Manhattanville. But good journalism necessitates praising someone's successes as well as calling out his failures, and I believe that today was one of the biggest successes of Bollinger's administration.
By allowing Columbia students to hear Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bollinger demonstrated an admirable commitment to the principle of free speech that he teaches in the classroom. By publicly challenging Ahmadinejad's record, he made clear that he would not provide a soapbox or treat the leader as an honored guest. Instead, he provided 600 students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to personally question an important world leader while embracing his own opportunity to condemn Ahmadinejad's actions on behalf of the University—handling himself with grace and intellectual honesty in a tremendously challenging situation. I have never been so proud to associate myself with Columbia and with the University's leader.
Megan Greenwell, BC '06
The author was the editor-in-chief of the 129th Managing Board of the
Columbia Daily Spectator.
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I disagree that Ahmadinajad promotes "truth evasion" when answering a question with a question. One of his most notable questions was when he was asked why he didnt stop building nuclear weapons, his answer was "Why does Iran need nuclear weapons?" This is not to evade the question but simply point out that either the question asked has no grounding, i.e. not based on evidence, or/and to ask the questioner to think about and give an answer to their thought as why they think Iran is wanting to build nuclear weapons.
Granted most, if not all, politicians generally tend to evade questions but in this case he's not evading but simply asking you to think about why you think the way you think. Can someone give an answer to Ahmadinajad's question "Why does Iran need nuclear weapons?" If you cant then perhaps Iran itself is no interested in nuclear weapons as it claims.
Also as far as a twisted view of the world is concerned, "twisted" in this sense usually has a negative meaning. I would simply regard that both bush and Ahmadinajad have alternative points of view. If you think attacking, killing others, bombing countries, occupying countries and general holding countries to ransom through sanctions is bad, then perhaps you should think USA is twisted.
I don't know if many Americans realize this or not, but around the world from New Zealand, to Australia, to Europe, South America, Middle East, Asia and Africa, America is the most hated country in the world. Before criticizing others it would be more enlightening to travel to other countries and see other's impressions of America and why America is not liked.
While Hitler promoted the 'big lie', Ahmadinajad promotes 'truth evasion', answering a question with a barrage of more questions. Aren't we looking at the same bird with different feathers? Reducing international affairs to rhetorical gamesmanship and playground name-calling is not what Free Speech means; when we lose integrity in our words we lose the opportunity for dialogue and change.
Although President Bollinger gave Ahmadinajad the forum to reveal his twisted view of the world, it was unnecessary to insult him. It would have been nobler to pose the issues that Ahmadinajad espouses and let him answer for them. The forum had the appearance of the Ivy League Jerry Springer Show. Columbia is better than that.
Ahmadinajad is not Hitler. Everybody barrots this baseless claim without ever supporting it. Bush and Olmert are on the other hand WAR CRIMINALS. But apparently no one is bothered by there genocidal campaigns in Iraq and Palestine. Bollinger exposed himself a petty coward. I dear him challenge Israeli and American leaders.
We are not talking about Ahmadinajad or homosexuals. We are talking about Zionist oppression and the Apartheid in Palestine. Israel kills, kidnaps, demolishes, confiscates, all with impunity. Ahmadinajed may make strange statements, i.e. Holocaust or homosexuals, but he is a not a war criminal like Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Shemon Perez and Ehud Barak. He is not sending F16's to refugee camps to kill women and children. He is not shelling sleeping houses with Merkeva tanks. He is not starving 1.5 million people in Gaza. Israeli leaders are. If we apply Nuremberg justice these men would certainly be hanged. But we all know Israel is Above the law.
This is a Zionist fiction not history. White South Africans also peddled absurd concoctions to explain their alien, weird presence in Africa. They too claimed they were in Africa before the blacks. That the whites were the victims of African savagery. In Palestine, despite the creation of new history, Israeli historians and founding fathers admit they have ethnic cleansed Palestinians. But Zionist oppression is so brutal it doesn't take any efforts to witness.
To address your claim; Yes Zionists suddenly arrived 60 years ago. Jews have been living there continuously, but never constituted more than 10% during the British mandate . Even after all the usurping and "buying of lands" they couldn't own more than 7% of the land in Palestine. Thus they had to expel the indigenous Palestinians to erect the Colonial state of Israel. Former Israeli foreign minister, who is an Oxford trained historian, admits Ethnic cleansing occurred. Moshe Dayan ON THE RECORD stated the Palestinian ethnic cleansing. Beni Morris and Illan Pappa both confirm it in their books. For you to deny Palestinian ethnic cleansing is no different from Ahmadinajad denying the Holocaust. I wished you stood for Justice and truth instead of propaganda and Zionist robbery.
Don't hide behind antisemitism. I have no problem with Jewish people and I am not a Palestinian. But it is a fact Israeli Jews are stealing land in Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jordan Valley, in fact all over the West bank. What do you expect Palestinians to do? welcome the ruthless colonists. Restoring Palestinian land is a very legitimate pursuit. Colonists need to return to their homes in Poland, Russia, and wherever else they are coming from. The era of European ethnic cleansing of natives is over. Colonization failed in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Algeria. Keep in mind, The French colonization of Algeria lasted over a hundred years. But was eventually defeated. The Zionist entity is an infant, all be it a vicious one, and will certainly collapse under its weight. Palestinians will reclaim their rights not only in Nablus and Hebron but in Haifa and Jalil as well. Lets hope the restoration of justice will be peaceful as in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
It's not as if Jews suddenly arrived in Israel 60 years ago as Ahmadinejad would have you believe. After all, Arabs engaged in pogroms against Jews well before the Holocaust occurred - one example is the Hebron massacres of 1929 by Arabs against Jewish men, women and children which forced the entire Jewish community to flee Hebron, the bulk of which had been residing there since after the Crusades (that is, the Crusaders had killed most of the Jews that were living there so that the Crusaders could secure the Holy Land for Christendom and, after the Crusades, a community of Jews was re-established).
Jewish Israel was not created out of thin air. The UN partition plan, which was rejected by Arab nations, was made to recognize the population settlements in 1948. But continuous Jewish presence was never absent, even after millions of Jews were slaughered by the Romans in 70 CE and again in the next century when the Jews revolted again against Roman rule. They still remained after the Arab conquest of Jerusalem in 638, about 1,900 years after the first Jewish state was set up in Israel. Jews filtered back in to Israel throughout the Middle Ages and came back in mass (although there were significant continuous population) in the 1880's. Jews bought land and created contiguous communities - remember, there had been no non-colonial state or country on the land since the Jewish polity had been destroyed by the Romans - and settled in areas that were bought but also wasteland - Tel Aviv was created out of nothingness.
One more thing, a majority of the Jews in Israel are not from Europe (although Jews from Europe were instrumental in purchasing and settling the land that would become Israel), but from Muslim countries (e.g., Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Turkey, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, etc.) where they had lived as "Dhimmis" - i.e., second class citizens subject to waves of persecution and injustice. They cannot live as a separate demographic group, free to fully practice their religion, speak their language and propogate their culture, in Arab and Persian countries where they are subjugated. Most Jews have voted with their feet and left areas where they had 2500 year histories. You know, of course, that Medina was founded by Jews. Aleppo was a major Jewish city. Yemen was once a Jewish kingdom. The Palestinians, who have identified as a national/cultural group separate from Syrians and Egyptians since 1964, when they were under the control of Jordan and Egypt, suffer more at the hands of their masters, the Syrians and the Iranians (and over time, their other "brotherly" neighbors) who don't help them build up infrastructure or provide them with significant rights to move out of their "refugee" cities in their countries.
I don't expect you to accept the Jewish viewpoint, but, for those with rational minds, I would expect that you not buy wholeheartedly into Ahmadinejad's and the Palestinian's view of Jews as usurpers in the region. Because then you have to examine whether Arabs are usurpers into that particular region and whether "Palestinians", as a unique ethnic, religious. cultural and language population is an invented term to apply to Arabs who happen to live in an area that was part of what the Romans chose to call "Palestine" after they massacred and destroyed "Judea" in 70-148 CE. "Palestine", after all, is a name that was given to throw salt in the wounds of Jews - because the extinct Philistines (of Greek/Turkish ancestry) were the Jews ancient enemies when they founded their first polity about 1,300 years BCE. The Arabs in the region prior to the establishment of Israel, did not refer to themselves as "Palestinians" - in fact, it was the Jews who did and, accordingly, established The Palestine Post (today The Jerusalem Post) and The Palestine Symphony Orchestra. 60 years after the Holocaust, where are the similar institutions created by the "Palestinians"? After all, the first 22 of such years, they were fully under the jurisdiction of Jordan and Egypt. Why didn't they use those years to create a State? Maybe because they were too busy destroying ancient synagogues in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem and using the Western Wall as a garbage dump. Maybe because they focus too much of their efforts on senseless hatred and wiring their children with bomb belts.
This is a Zionist fiction not history. White South Africans also peddled absurd concoctions to explain their alien, weird presence in Africa. They too claimed they were in Africa before the blacks. That the whites were the victims of African savagery. In Palestine, despite the creation of new history, Israeli historians and founding fathers admit they have ethnic cleansed Palestinians. But Zionist oppression is so brutal it doesn't take any efforts to witness.
To address your claim; Yes Zionists suddenly arrived 60 years ago. Jews have been living there continuously, but never constituted more than 10% during the British mandate . Even after all the usurping and "buying of lands" they couldn't own more than 7% of the land in Palestine. Thus they had to expel the indigenous Palestinians to erect the Colonial state of Israel. Former Israeli foreign minister, who is an Oxford trained historian, admits Ethnic cleansing occurred. Moshe Dayan ON THE RECORD stated the Palestinian ethnic cleansing. Beni Morris and Illan Pappa both confirm it in their books. For you to deny Palestinian ethnic cleansing is no different from Ahmadinajad denying the Holocaust. I wished you stood for Justice and truth instead of propaganda and Zionist robbery.
I guess you're right. Just kill or expel the 5.5MM Jews living there now. Your final solution is brilliant.
"I guess you're right. Just kill or expel the 5.5MM Jews living there now. Your final solution is brilliant."
Zionists have ethnic cleansed the Palestinian people. 6 million Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, live in refugee camps because of Zionist ethnic cleansing. Yet you are so dishonest and cynical you want to exploit the Holocaust. Zionists know they are responsible for the misery and the suffering of the Palestinian people. Ethiopians and Indians, Polish and New Yorkers can live in Palestine but Palestinians are prohibited from returning to the homes they were expelled from. My friend you have lost the moral grounds. You cannot exploit the Holocaust any longer.
The Europeans came to America and killed off the Indians to take their land. The Jews are killing the Palestinians to take their land. How do I know? The Israeli have F16, guided missiles from America and the Palestinians have ROCKs. Who is the oppressed people here???. There was no one to back the American Indians, but the Palestinians have the support of the entire Arabs. It will be a long struggle for the Palestinians.
You said it best!
Every thing you have said is outright untrue. I challenge you to back any of your claims with credible evidence. Several hundred thousand Palestinians killed in Kuwait? There has never been even one hundred thousand Palestinians living in Kuwait let alone for such massacres to take place. 30,000 killed? again you are telling a pure fiction, except very unplausible. You are referring to the 70's conflict between PLO and Jordan's king. The question is not Jews buying homes. The Jews go there to colonize and ethnic cleanse Palestinians. They are not benevolent investors. They are heavily armed occupiers. West bank is under a military occupation. Tell me did the Jews buy the massive settlements in the West Bank. Most of the Jews in the West Bank live extravagantly. They drive on JEWS ONLY roads while native Palestinians need permissions to cross from one village to another. These are the facts declared by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN, and the Israeli media.
It is typical for Zionists to lie, to misrepresent and defame. Again I challenge you to back your outrageous claims about Kuwait and Jordan. Israel is an Apartheid state. NOW, THIS IS A FACT.
As long as you say "THIS IS A FACT", I guess I have to believe you. After all, you have no vested interest in the subject matter and you are completely impartial. I also have to believe Ahmadinejad when he says there are no homosexuals in Iran, so he certainly cannot be killing them as a penalty for their status. After all, he would have had to hang Arafat if that were the case.
We are not talking about Ahmadinajad or homosexuals. We are talking about Zionist oppression and the Apartheid in Palestine. Israel kills, kidnaps, demolishes, confiscates, all with impunity. Ahmadinajed may make strange statements, i.e. Holocaust or homosexuals, but he is a not a war criminal like Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Shemon Perez and Ehud Barak. He is not sending F16's to refugee camps to kill women and children. He is not shelling sleeping families in refugee camps with Merkeva tanks. He is not starving 1.5 million people in Gaza. Israeli leaders are. If we apply Nuremberg justice these men would certainly be hanged. But we all know Israel is Above the law.
"I have an aunt that has to travel with bullet proof windows every day on her way to work." Your aunt is a settler. She lives in stolen house, on stolen land and farm. The West Bank settlements are illegal under international law because the owners are ethnic cleansed into refugee camps. The Israeli army confiscated this land from the Palestinian peasants. What do you expect the Palestinians to do! sit and be good native Indians!
"many Palestinians want the Israelis dead." That is because colonist Jews have displaced and ethnic cleansed them. Even Israeli historians acknowledge this fact, ie Beni Morris, and Illan Pappa and Shlomo ben Ami. Today Israel is occupying, killing, confiscating with absolute impunity. What do you expect Palestinians to do? Would a concentration camp Jew love Nazi's? Gaza is a big concentration camp and Israeli soldiers behave worst than SS guards.
"Learn the facts." What facts do you want me to learn? Israeli Defense or AIPAC or Better Alan Dershowitz misinformations. My friend, practice what you preach. Learn the facts.
Wow. I wonder which Hitler Youth camp you went to.
Speaking of facts:
Selling land to Jews in the West Bank is an offense punishable by death. But I guess thats perfectly alright with you because Jews don't deserve the ability to purchase "Arab" land.
You also like comparing Israelis to Nazis. The Nazis were killing 10,000 people in one day. You are either a complete idiot or a propagandist, much like the president of Iran (who I'm sure you would agree with on many points). If you are so concerned with the Palestinians where is your criticism of their open ethnic cleansing in Kuwait, where several hundred thousand were kicked out after their support of Saddam's invasion, or the slaughter of 30,000 Palestinians at the hand of the Jordanian army? Apprently it's only a problem if Jews are doing the killin in self-defense.
Your description of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and its solution, fits well with Hamas', which calls for the death of all of the "colonizing" Jews. Say hello and a loud Zig Heil to all of your friends at the next SS/Spartacus Youth/Huge Tool meeting.
Every thing you have said is outright untrue. I challenge you to back any of your claims with credible evidence. Several hundred thousand Palestinians killed in Kuwait? There has never been even one hundred thousand Palestinians living in Kuwait let alone for such massacres to take place. 30,000 killed? again you are telling a pure fiction, except very unplausible. You are referring to the 70's conflict between PLO and Jordan's king. The question is not Jews buying homes. The Jews go there to colonize and ethnic cleanse Palestinians. They are not benevolent investors. They are heavily armed occupiers. West bank is under a military occupation. Tell me did the Jews buy the massive settlements in the West Bank. Most of the Jews in the West Bank live extravagantly. They drive on JEWS ONLY roads while native Palestinians need permissions to cross from one village to another. These are the facts declared by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN, and the Israeli media.
It is typical for Zionists to lie, to misrepresent and defame. Again I challenge you to back your outrageous claims about Kuwait and Jordan. Israel is an Apartheid state. NOW, THIS IS A FACT.
Well, my goodness, if Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch AND the UN say it, it must be true. May I remind you that Sudan was elected to the Human Rights Council of the UN - after and during its ethnic cleansing/murder in Darfur. It's not surprising that the Human Rights Council is doing nothing about the incidents currently taking place in Burma.
The only reason there are Israeli only (not "Jewish" only) roads in the West Bank is that our friends keep shooting at us. Stop the violence and Israel won't have to worry.
By the way, when the "Palestinians" were under Jordanian and Egyptian occupation during the first 22 years of Israel's existence, why wasn't a state of Palestine established then? In actuality, "Palestinians", Syrians, Gazans and Lebanese are all under the colonial influence of Iran.
"The only reason there are Israeli only (not "Jewish" only) roads in the West Bank is that our friends keep shooting at us. Stop the violence and Israel won't have to worry."
You are living on their farms and homes. You have expelled them to refugee camps. You have created luxury apartments over their villages and condemned them to live in a squalid, subhuman existence. Israeli Army demolishes Palestinian homes and villages to build Jewish settlements. Do you think Palestinians are happy with that. What would you do if your house is bulldozed to make away for an Arab luxury apartment. You can not talk about peace when you are stealing and displacing people. More Jewish settlements are built on Palestinian villages during the peace process than before that.
Colonists always think the same way. White European settlers used to wonder Why were native Indians so hostile. They never reflect the misery and the suffering settlers bring with them. But the era of European ethnic cleansing of native people around the world is over. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Algeria all defeated European colonists and forced them back to their original place.
courtesy is something embeded in cultture and civilization. Yo invite a guest just to insult and not to listen. President of a university has behaved worst than a kid in this side of the world.I feel more proud about my civiliztion after this episode. If at all there is some clash between civilization it should be renamed as clash of civilised and uncivilised-The symbol of civilization can't be better presented than an acadamic.PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-it has become symbol of the worst tradition ever seen.
Quantum theory would have it that everything is connected which may be the foundation for "Self-fulfulling Prophesy"-- you know, what one expects and believes about people becomes the reality. This "self-fulfilling Prophesy has been demonstrated with school children in controlled experiments. Dr. Bollinger should be commended for inviting Mr. Ahmadinajad to speak, however, Dr. Bollinger's introductory remarks will not promote the desired effect--which is to get Mr. Ahmadinajad to understand and even possibly embrace some of the American psyche. One last thought. Mr. Ahmadinajad asks questions--sometimes as answers to questions. Questioning prevailing thinking got Socrates killed. Utimatelly questioning leads to the truth and truthful words are not always pretty while pretty words are not always truthful.
So nobody in this country has freedom of speech EXCEPT some tiresome big mouth from Iran. You liberals are enough to make a dog sick.
When is the next ‘GAY PRIDE DAY’ or ‘WOMEN’S DAY PARADE’ in TEHERAN???
O.K. WHACKADOOS AT COLUMBIA – STOP DOING THE ‘WHACKY WEED AND FACE REALITY!!! According to MAHMOUD ACHMADINAJEAD "...there is no problem with 'homosexuals in IRAN - there aren't any." told too laughing COLUMBIA COMMUNITY ^SSHOLES of that institution.[If MAHMOUD had stated they didn't have 'problems' with Jews cuz IRAN has driven out or killed most of them would the '^ssholes' of the COLUMBIA COMMUNITY be laughing at that too???] According to ACHMADINAJEAD IRAN has the 'free-est' women on the planet - violate S'HARIA LAW and get 'stoned' as in put to death - not getting high!!! SOME GREAT SOCIETY IRAN HUH???
Where does one draw the line by free specch and the first amendment? Apparently, denying the Holocasut and the State of Israel does not suffice. Why does Columbia just invite neo-Natzis and other anti-semitic individuals to speak. First amendment privileges do not exist in these cases.
To respond to the comment above about Zionists committing apartheid like in Africa, I have an aunt that has to travel with bulllet proof windows every day on her way to work. Maybe, you have never been to Israel before, but many Palestinians want the Israelis dead. There is no compromise. I promise you that if you think the Palestinians living in Gaza are so peaceful, please do visit them. Have fun while you are there. Stop reading the BS published by the New York Times about how Israel is massacring innocent people. Learn the facts.
"I have an aunt that has to travel with bullet proof windows every day on her way to work." Your aunt is a settler. She lives in stolen house, on stolen land and farm. The West Bank settlements are illegal under international law because the owners are ethnic cleansed into refugee camps. The Israeli army confiscated this land from the Palestinian peasants. What do you expect the Palestinians to do! sit and be good native Indians!
"many Palestinians want the Israelis dead." That is because colonist Jews have displaced and ethnic cleansed them. Even Israeli historians acknowledge this fact, ie Beni Morris, and Illan Pappa and Shlomo ben Ami. Today Israel is occupying, killing, confiscating with absolute impunity. What do you expect Palestinians to do? Would a concentration camp Jew love Nazi's? Gaza is a big concentration camp and Israeli soldiers behave worst than SS guards.
"Learn the facts." What facts do you want me to learn? Israeli Defense or AIPAC or Better Alan Dershowitz misinformations. My friend, practice what you preach. Learn the facts.
Thank you
TEHARN, Sep. 25 (ISNA)-In response to the insulting remarks of the Columbia university president against Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, Iran's university presidents raised their objection to Lee Bollinger.
Ahmadinejad was elected in a free two-level election and by the nation's direct votes they announced in a letter to Lee Bollinger.
"Your insulting words to the president of 72 million people who have 7000 years of rich civilization and culture is embarrassing. Although apparently you have stated those hateful words under great pressure of the media it is disgraceful and surprising to see that the Media direct university president's words."
In this letter they have put 10 questions to Lee Bollinger with the purpose of clearing up the ambiguities between the two countries.
1-Why did American media put you under pressure to call off Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University? Why do they broadcast hours of programs and news against him and do not allow him to answer the accusations? Isn't it against freedom of speech?
2-Why did the U.S. government oust the nation-based government of Mosaddegh with the aid of Iran's dictator, Shah in 1953?
3-Why did the U.S. support Saddam who used chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers and even his own nation during the imposed war?
4-Why doesn't the U.S. recognize Palestine's government which was elected with Palestinian's vote? Why does it pressurize the Palestinian's government? Why is the U.S. against Iran's proposal on solving the 60-year old problems of Palestine through referendum?
5-Why couldn't the U.S. army find Bin Laden despite all of its equipments? How do you justify the old friendship between the Bin Ladens and the Bushs and their cooperation on oil? How do you justify Bush's spoiling the investigations over the 9/11?
6-Why does the U.S. government back the terrorist group of Mujahedine Khalq Organization (MKO) while it has claimed responsibility over many bloody bombings in public places of Iran and Iraq? Why doesn't it allow the Iraqi government to evacuate the MKO base in Iraq?
7-Did the U.S. invade Iraq based on international vote and with the permission of international organizations? What was the real purpose of occupying Iraq which has left hundred thousands of its people dead? Where are the weapons of mass destruction which the U.S. claimed were stored in Iraq?
8-Why are the extremely undemocratic states with absolute monarchy regimes the U.S. best friends in the Middle East?
9-Why did the U.S. disagree with the "Middle East free of nuclear weapons project" issued in the board of governors while all countries agreed with it but Israel?
10-Why is the U.S. displeased with Iran and the IAEA agreement and why does it disagree with negotiations within the framework of international regulations for solving Iran's nuclear issue?
At the end they have announced that they were ready to host Columbia University president and other faculties who were interested in seeking the truth to know about this nation without the filtering of the West media.
End Item
I was quite impressed by Ahmadinejad's Speech. I happened to find it on the internet and read it :) Considering he knew that the majority of America hates him he still had the courage (maybe not courage, but *balls*) to enter the university and speak out. I think this shows a lot about his character and his willingness for dialogue.
I thought Bollinger's introduction was of poor form. It's unfortunate that some academics resort to slander only. When u have a guest, and especially in an academic place, one should always be courteous independent of his beliefs.
I found Ahmadinejad's Speech quite incite full. He gave some excellent reasons concerning the nature of academia and the pursuit of knowledge through continuing to ask questions. Many historical figures were condemned and killed for their beliefs which happened to turn out true in the future. I mean who would have thought that our planet wasn't at the center of the universe? More research into the holocaust is not a bad thing. How can it be bad? We could find something new and enlightening. If we find nothing then that academic helped to prove the current belief to be more rock-solid. I think his point concerning holocaust was to do with the palestinians and their current and unfortunate position.
Throughout his speech I thought it followed rather logically and consistently pointed out the need for research and friendship. He also made a good parrallel between american executions and iranian executions.
The only thing I found strange about his speech was the comment regarding homosexuals, i cant quite exactly but something like there were none :P I was disappointed in his belief there, though i dont fully understand how there could be no homosexuals in iran. A little confusing.
"The only thing I found strange about his speech was the comment regarding homosexuals, i cant quite exactly but something like there were none :P I was disappointed in his belief there, though i dont fully understand how there could be no homosexuals in iran. A little confusing."
Its understandable that the western culture cant comprehend the idea that homosexuality is not a normal part of life since we are exposed on a daily basis to media influences portraying homosexuality as normal. I dont think anyone aware of western media would argue with me on this. Homosexuality i would say is promoted in western media. I remember a couple years back when a couple actors revealed they were homosexuals. oh god the months the news agencies dedicated to making these people popular was beyond belief. It even resulted in Elen getting her own talk show. hmm since then what have we seen. well an explosion of homosexuality in the west. which is now entering its 2nd phase of attacking religious groups for their intolerance. This is complete rubish. I as a catholic am glad the church is putting up a fight to stand for its beliefs because after all no one is forcing people who were born into the church to stay there. the church has the right to protect its rights and values and its integrity. if a homo wants acceptance well he or she should move to a place where the people more closely resembling their beliefs and not attack the majority. this logic also applies to american efforts to satanize the Iranian culture. The bush administration says women have no rights in Iran. Im not all too familiar with how Iranian government administers womens rights but i would argue that american woman have lost many freedoms as well. for example these days women are forced to work as much as the men, they are forced to sexualize themselves in order to find a husband. divorce in the US is one of the highest in the world. This is a true indicator of how dysfunctional American values are and how they keep degrading. well im going to cut this short but the point im just trying to make here is for us to re-valuate our belief system and to accept that we are an inclusive society that does not value religion, family, or society but rather values economy and money, and that Iran is an exclusive society that want to remain pure to their values and beliefs. I think its possible for the 2 countires to live in harmony as long as the US stops trying to bullie itself into influencing everyone around to world to be more like them. leaving no refuge for those who dont want to live under a corporate driven economy. as long as iran respects us and does not try to impose its will on us i dont see any reson why we should be imposing ours on them. they deserve to live how they choose.
"If a homo wants acceptance" he should move?!? So I guess you would concur with Ahmadinejad that they should be hanged to death - I don't think his government gives them the election of moving or dying. You should be ashamed of yourself.
The shill question on Gays in Iran is nothing more than colonialism posing as liberalism. The US itself is not at the forefront on any social issues, whether it is race relations, gay rights, capital punishment or social justice. To try to hold Iran on the issue of gays when 90% of the world don't even acknowledge them is just another way to imply their barbarism and our moral superiority, giving justification for our imperialistic policy to expand into Iran.
Why doesn't Netherlands invade the US and liberate its people due to the fact that we live in a stone age warring society compared to theirs.
Pursuing an international relationship with Iran's president will not be possible until there is a new one, and there is nothing wrong with reminding him and ourselves of that. The man spent his time talking about how sacred he considers knowledge to be, and that made him a bigger joke than any introduction could ever do.
It is very possible Ahmadinejad’s opinion about the holocaust may have compelled the special interest powers that be to organize efforts against him, in the same manner those same powers politically undermined former DePaul University Professor Norman Finkelstein tenure to be denied when he voiced doubts in the validity of the holocaust.
More importantly, never mind President Ahmadinejad or Professor Finkelstein. What about our nation’s values? One of the strongest foundations of our society is our right to free speech. Nowhere is free speech more important than in the very schools our national history is taught and where ethics are lectured. When DePaul University denied Professor Finkelstein, an American citizen tenure, they literally prioritized popular opinion over an individual’s right to free speech, resulting in the complete urinating upon our founding principles. By the same token, Columbia University students and staff’s bad example, denied their foreign guest the opportunity to observe and exercise the benefit of free speech, resulting in a missed opportunity for this so-called dictator to learn the value of it, appreciate it and to someday grant it to his own people.
When we Americans merely preach about free speech but knowingly fail to grant it to our own people or to foreign guests based on the popularity of their opinions, what does that say about our country?
Bottom line, Columbia University president as well as those who participated in the public denouncing of Ahmadinejad, screwed up.
I guess by comparison, being an ignorant, American, straw chewing hick, let alone a poor uneducated Iranian peasant, is more preferable than being a "learned" student in any university that craps on our founding principles.
What "atrocities against humanity" did Ahmadinajad commit? Did his army invade a country? Did his army kill 1.2 million Iraqis? Or did he slaughtered a thousand lebanese civilians one summers ago. Is Ahmadinajad the Commander occupying Iraq, Palestine or Afghanistan? Does he posses over ten thousand nuclear war heads? Is he building an apartheid wall to ethnic cleanse Palestinian people. Did he construct Guantanamobe? Is he in charge of Abu Guraib and Baghram Airport? Did he use depleted uranium on major cities? Next time you utter such nonsense,amatuer journalist, please review your facts and don't just parrot corporate, war-mongering pundits on cable tv.
thank you
were not so innocent on treating homosexuals either, i smell a lot of history beeing forgotten around here.
Ariel Sharon, Menachem Begin, and a host of other Israeli leaders were all directly complicit in terrorism. Of course people like them should not be invited to Columbia either . . . right? Or are some terrorists "good" and some "bad"?
Neither Ariel Sharon (the architect of the withdrawal from Gaza) nor Menachem Begin (Nobel Peace Prize Winner and maker of peace with Egypt) has spoken at Columbia University, nor, to the best of my knowledge, have they been invited by the Administration to speak.
Your statement is incorrect, disingenuous and absurd. Among other things, terrorism is the purposeful murder of innocents and non-combatants to spread fear and instability. A careful examination of the difference between the methods and purposes of the Israelis in their defense of their country and the Iranians in the pursuit of their goals with Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and the murderers of various anti-Syrian politicians in Lebanon will help you to identify the proper labels. Your current method of labelling would brand every government in the world (other than perhaps Costa Rica which has no military) as a terrorist entity. If that is your system, then, yes, there are "good" terrorists and "bad" terrorists and the US, Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain, Turkey, Jordan, Israel et al. are the "good" terrorists. The "bad" ones are the ones that fly into office buildings, the ones that blow themselves up (and send kids to blow themselves up) in the disco, the pizza parlor, the vegetable market, the bus station, the train station, etc., the ones that indiscriminately (without any intent to attack combatants) send Quassam missiles into population centers, the ones who kidnap and murder Olympic athletes and elderly wheelchair-bound cruise-ship vacationers and the State sponsors and individual financiers of such actions. The ones who kill those intent on carrying out such actions are "good" terrorists.
Now that we have some clarity on this, please consider the following: In Ahmadinejad's Iran, the death penalty is common for many offenses without significant legal protections of the accused, gays are hanged for being gay, women are whipped for non-marital relationships and are forced by the government to cover their hair and their bodies, and open non-believers are also killed by the government; in the USA, the death penalty is common in some States, but there are significant, if not fully adequate, legal protections for the accused, "outed" gays are not deemed fit to serve in the military and are given a dishonorable discharge if they are found out, but women have equality with men (although they haven't been elected to the highest office yet) and wear burkas only if they want to, and pure secularism, although not tenable for a political leader, is the norm; in the Israel of Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon, there has been only one instance of the death penalty (Adolf Eichman) and terrorists and murderers are given jail sentences and not lethal injections (in fact, some non-Jewish murderers are periodically released in the interest of peace), gays are not banned from serving in the military (and they are cetainly not subject to the death penalty for it), women who chose are allowed to wear bikinis and both Ariel Sharon and Menachem Begin served under a woman head of state (who, fortunately for us, was never photographed in a bikini), and, finally, it is typical for government leaders to be secular (except for covering their heads at weddings and a lot of funerals).
Harris Fenton
" In their defense of their country"?! What country are you talking about. Zionists have no country. Palestine is robbed from others. Even today, the Zionist entity practices apartheid and ethnic cleansing to steal more land from the Palestinian people. Israel is worst than Apartheid South Africa or the Rhodesian government in Zimbabwe. It is destruction is a legitimate end. I hope that occurs through peaceful means like the South African Apartheid collapse.
"terrorismis the purposeful murder of innocents and non-combatants to spread fear and instability" That is exactly what Israeli army commits every single day. Do you Qana massacre 26 children killed summer 06. The number of Palestinian children murdered by Israeli war machine is nearly the same of the Zionists killed in the Intifada including Zionist soldiers. Get your facts together. Be honest. Don't appoint yourself an advocate for an evil,Apartheid regime.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's always the fault of the JOOOOOOOOOOOOs. The killing of Jews "is a legitimate end." How about you stop your insane rantings and stop your own killing and build a productive society, rather than one of hatred and vitriol. The Israeli army does not go out and target shoot women and children. It is, however, fighting a war against people who, as you put it, view their destruction as a legitimate end. The only surprising thing is that Israel does not annihilate and expel you - certainly Ahmadinejad would do that to you if you were blowing yourselves up in his marketplaces and bus stations. Unfortunately, Ahamadinejad's regime is financing your bomb belts.
Don't hide behind antisemitism. I have no problem with Jewish people and I am not a Palestinian. But it is a fact Israeli Jews are stealing land in Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus, Jordan Valley, in fact all over the West bank. What do you expect Palestinians to do? welcome the ruthless colonists. Restoring Palestinian land is a very legitimate pursuit. Colonists need to return to their homes in Poland, Russia, and wherever else they are coming from. The era of European ethnic cleansing of natives is over. Colonization failed in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Algeria. Keep in mind, The French colonization of Algeria lasted over a hundred years. But was eventually defeated. The Zionist entity is an infant, all be it a vicious one, and will certainly collapse under its weight. Palestinians will reclaim their rights not only in Nablus and Hebron but in Haifa and Jalil as well. Lets hope the restoration of justice will be peaceful as in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Lee Bollinger should go gracefully into that good night and fellate the barrel of an old musket until shit pops. This comment should be removed by the administrators at Columbia; those who serve free speech, open dialog, public debate, the free flow of information and so many other important elements of our society.
After all, the rage his "introduction" will provoke in the Middle East will undoubtedly result in the loss of many lives. Remember the cartoon outrage? Seems weird to us, we're not everybody. As far as I'm concerned, Columbia University is a sponsor of terrorism. Actually I take it back. Good man, that Lee, knows how to follow orders. Now that's a virtue.
The post above, below, wherever, by Harris may have injured my lungs and or esophagus I laughed so hard. Nicely done.
I think that Bollinger's next guests at Columbia events should be (i) OJ on the fairness of the legal system, (ii) Phil Spector on firearm safety, (iii) the leaders of SLORC on Myanmar's human rights initiatives, (iv) the producers of The Secret on why you don't need to study - you can just think about good grades and you will get them and (v) the Grand Kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan - just because we always wanted to hear what he might have to say about race relations in this country. Unfortunately, P.W. Botha is not available to talk about the wonders of Apartheid for this lecture series due to his still being very dead.
Lee doesn't even have to give a long introduction for these folks; he can just grunt or act grouchy and he'll get a warm editorial about his heroism from the New York Times.
Harris Fenton
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