Iranian President Ahmadinejad speaks at Columbia University

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 

Protest swept the campus in Morningside Heights

File:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia 3 by David Shankbone.jpg

The event enflamed passions over many issues: "Who gives a shit about God?" asked a man who identified himself as Rumpel Stiltskin. "I hope you rot in hell!" replied Hattie Booker of Harlem, waving a Bible. "This man is terrible! You're pitiful!".

The Columbia University campus in New York City erupted today in protest over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's debate with Columbia President Lee Bollinger. Ahmadinejad's presence on one of the United States' most prestigious universities brought out protesters from many causes to make their opinions known: whether Ahmadinejad should speak or not, the war in Iraq, Israel, 'American imperialism', George W. Bush, God and morality.

Ahmadinejad has been widely criticized for his anti-semitic remarks and as a holocaust denier, as well as Iran's support for terrorism. He also believes that 9/11 was an “inside job”, involving Israel's Mossad or American ‘intelligence and security services.’ 9/11 family members have been loudly critical of Ahmadinejad, since last week when he requested a visit to Ground Zero to lay a wreath -- what has been widely viewed as a photo op.

The New York tabloid press splashed their covers with antagonizing headlines. The Daily News ran the headline "The evil has landed" and The New York Post labeled Ahmadinejad the "Madman Iran Prez". New York is unique in the United States not only in the way its citizens live, but also in the institutions that affect its culture. One such institution is the United Nations, whose charter requires that all member nations have access to the governing body. Governments identified as enemies of the United States --North Korea, Cuba, Iran-- all have delegations who live in, work in and walk on the streets of New York City. At times, their governments come to address the governing body, as the Iranian President did on Monday.

Both parties had to agree upon Bollinger's opening remarks in advance. Bollinger, at times his voice shaking, addressed critics of the event at the beginning of his remarks. "To those who believe that this event should never have happened, that it is inappropriate for the university to conduct such an event, I want to say that I understand your perspective and respect it as reasonable."

"It is an experiment, as all life is an experiment. This is the right thing to do and indeed, it is required by the existing norms of free speech, of Columbia University"

Bollinger then opened the debate, challenging the Iranian leader's record on human rights, announcing :

Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator, and so I ask you, why have women, members of the Bahá'í Faith, homosexuals and so many of our academic colleagues become targets of persecution in your country?" "Why do you support well-documented terrorist organizations that continue to strike at peace and democracy in the Middle East, destroying lives and the civil society of the region? Frankly, and in all candor Mr. President, I doubt that you will have the intellectual courage to answer these questions, but your avoiding them will in itself be meaningful to us. I do expect you to exhibit the fanatical mind-set that characterizes what you say and do.

After reading in Arabic from the Koran, Ahmadinejad began by taking issue with Bollinger: "In Iran, tradition requires that when we invite a person to be a speaker, we actually respect our students and the professors by allowing them to make their own judgement and we don’t think it’s necessary before the speech is even given to come in with a series of claims..."

Ahmadinejad's most pointed arguments, though, were directed at the administration of George W. Bush. "They do not respect the privacy of their own people. They tap telephone calls … They create an insecure psychological atmosphere, in order to justify their war-mongering acts in different parts of the world."

The Iranian President echoed writer and Bush critic Sunsara Taylor's complaints about American imperialism. "By using precise scientific methods and planning, they begin their onslaught on the domestic cultures of nations, which are the result of thousands of years of interaction, creativity and artistic activity. They try to eliminate these cultures in order to strip people of their identity."

Without addressing his own country's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad questioned U.S. nuclear policy. "Making nuclear, chemical and biological bombs and weapons of mass destruction is yet another result of the misuse of science and research by the big powers." He added, "Without the cooperation of certain scientists and scholars, we would not have witnessed production of different nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Are these weapons to protect global security? What can a perpetual nuclear umbrella achieve for the sake of humanity? If nuclear war is waged between nuclear powers, what human catastrophe will take place?"

Student Sunsara Taylor saw the event as just an instrument in the larger symphony of American imperialism.

In a surprising rebuttal, Ahmadinejad claimed that "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country," when challenged by Bollinger for his country's treatment of gays. "In Iran we do not have this phenomenon, I don't know who has told you that we have it." He framed questioning of the Holocaust as stifled academic debate: "Right now, there are a number of European academics who have been sent to prison because they attempted to write about the Holocaust or research it from a different perspective, questioning certain aspects of it. My question is: Why isn't it open to all forms of research?"

The first question from the audience addressed the controversial issue of the leader's position on Israel. Ahmadinejad did not directly respond to the subject of Israel - stating "We love all nations. We love the Jewish people. There are many Jews living in Iran, with peace and security.", and concluded that it was not a question of Israel's right to exist, but of Palestinian self-determination.

Countering claims that his country supports terrorism, he replied, "We’re a cultured nation. We don’t need to resort to terrorism. We’ve been victims of terrorism ourselves. It’s regrettable that people who argued they are fighting terrorism — instead of supporting the Iranian nation — are supporting the terrorists and then turn the finger at us."

The final question from the audience asked whether Iran would engage in talks with the United States, to which he replied in unspecific terms. "If the U.S. government recognizes the rights of the Iranian people, respects all nations and extends a hand of friendship to all Iranians, they will see that Iranians will be among their best friends."

Ahmadinejad's presence tore apart the usually close-knit community of students and academics that inhabit Columbia's enclave in Morningside Heights. "A high-quality academic discussion depends on intellectual honesty," wrote Columbia Law Dean David M. Schizer, "but, unfortunately, Mr. Ahmadinejad has proven himself, time and again, to be uninterested in whether his words are true. Therefore, my personal opinion is that he should not be invited to speak." The Columbia Conservative Alumni Association said "the university is extending not a courtesy, but continuing a policy of anti-Israeli and anti-American leftist nihilism under the guise of academic freedom."

Richard Bulliet, an Iranian expert at Columbia who was instrumental in arranging the visit, defended the notion that it is imperative to listen to one's enemies. "If there is any likelihood of war between the U.S. and Iran, it is important for Americans to have some access to the direct words of the president of the other country. At least they are getting Ahmadinejad's views directly from him and not a reporter who has an ax to grind."

Sunsara Taylor, a member of the insignificant Revolutionary Communist Party and a student, had a mixed view. Although in theory Taylor did not have an issue with the Iranian President's presence on campus, she had a problem with "The event without any intervention or debate from the students...is reinforcing a bad dynamic where people feel they need to choose between Islamic Fundamentalism and U.S. Imperialism. I think it's fine for him to speak, but I think it's a responsibility of people in this country not to be bamboozled into going along with a war against a country's people just because that country's leader is a reactionary."

Opinions

• 
  "I think Columbia did the right thing by letting him speak, but I'm here to protest him," said New York University student Matt Glick, who protested on Broadway. "You need a platform for people to protest them. If you don't give a voice to these people, how can you say they are wrong?"
• 
  "[Bush] is very excited about people saying we are going to attack Iran, the military option is on the table," said Columbia Languages and Culture student Sheena Shirakhon, "I think he might be offended by Ahmadinejad, but I think his bigger concern is people in this country saying we don't want a war in Iran; that makes him think his power is going to drift."
• 
  Irving Goodson (left), a public school teacher and 1969 Columbia alumn, felt it was important to hear Amadinejad: "I sympathize with people of Jewish descent. I can understand their not wanting him to be here. This may not be a good analogy, but say a person from the KKK came here advocating the extermination of blacks, I would be uncomfortable with that, but I would be interested in hearing what he had to say and in engaging him."
• 
  "He's a terrorist. Terrorists should not have a platform to speak, simple as that," said Lily Englehart. "No right whatsoever. He has American blood on his hands, and has no right to be here. We shouldn't have him here. He should have been helicoptered from JFK to the United Nations and stayed at the Iranian Consulate. No Hilton, no Columbia."

The day in pictures

• 
  A woman with a sign made out of the cover of that morning's New York Post.
• 
  Columbia students watch the ruckus caused by the protesters by climbing the gates keeping them at bay.
• 
  Protesters lined up and down Broadway outside Columbia.
• 
  Heated arguments over Israel were popular among the protesters.

Sources

• Vivian Salama. "President Ahmadinejad Goes to Columbia" — Newsweek, September 24, 2007
• "Quotes by Iran's Ahmadinejad" — Associated Press, September 24, 2007
• David Schizer. "Comment by David M. Schizer, Dean, Columbia Law School" — Google News, September 24, 2007
• Sewell Chan. "Iranian Leader, Calling Introductory Remarks Insulting, Addresses Columbia" — New York Times, September 24, 2007

• "The Complete Video of President Lee Bollinger's Introductory Challenge Regarding President Ahmadinejad (along with an mnuez op-ed piece)" — mnuez, September 25, 2007

• "Columbia Conservative Alumni Association Statement on President Ahmadinejad Speaking at Columbia" — RedState.com, September 24, 2007

• "Time to organize an Ahmadinejad welcoming party?" — Michelle Malkin, September 19, 2007
• Tim Sumner. "Just shove your wreath, Ahmadinejad" — 9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America, September 20, 2007
• "Ahmadinejad to visit Ground Zero?" — Debunk 9/11 Myths, September 20, 2007

^{All photos and original reporting by Wikinews reporter David Shankbone}