Was it OK for Iran's leader to speak in USA?

Question

Comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose remarks were translated from Farsi.

I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here, present here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all.

Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an event they had nothing to do with?

My question was simple: There are researchers who want to approach the topic from a different perspective. Why are they put into prison? 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?

"We are friends of all the nations. We are also friends with the Jewish people."

Also added: "There are many Jews in Iran living peacefully with security. You must understand that in our constitution and our laws and the parliamentary elections for every 150,000 people we get one representative in the parliament. For the Jewish community one-fifth of this number they still get one independent representative in the parliament. Our proposal to the Palestinian plight is a humanitarian and a democratic proposal. What we say is that to solve this 60-year problem, we must allow the Palestinian people to decide about its future for itself.

Some big powers create a monopoly over science and prevent other nations in achieving scientific development as well. This, too, is one of the surprises of our time. Some big powers do not want to see the progress of other societies and nations. They turn to thousands of reasons, make allegations, place economic sanctions to prevent other nations from developing and advancing, all resulting from their distance from human values"!

Concluding, or should I say confusing thoughts:

On 9/11:

'If the root causes of 9/11 are examined properly — why it happened, what caused it, what were the conditions that led to it, who truly was involved, who was really involved — and put it all together to understand how to prevent the crisis in Iraq, fix the problem in Afghanistan and Iraq combined."

_ On executions of homosexuals in Iran:

"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that like in your country. ... In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have this."

Columbia University president Lee Bollinger took Iran's president to task Monday, bluntly criticizing his record and saying he exhibits "all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Bollinger's assessment came as he introduced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to an audience of students and faculty.

As he read a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government, the crowd of 600 applauded.

Ahmadinejad was at the university to give a speech and take part in a question-and-answer session.

During the introduction, Bollinger cited the Iranian government's "brutal crackdown" on dissidents, public executions, executions of minors and other actions.

He assailed Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust as "ridiculous." Video Watch Bollinger slam Ahmadinejad »

"For the illiterate and ignorant, this is dangerous propaganda," he said. He called the Iranian leader "either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated."

Iranian president
said: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that like in your country. ... In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have this." That IS true, probably. Queers are killed summarily by holier-than-thou Fundamental Islamics!

Answer 1

You are our friend but actually he is not (he is racist). He is just a liar. As u know he tried to ignore that he knows all about the ppl in jail (in Iran). In university he also said "our ladies in Iran have freedom", its funny because we cant even wear what we want and the fact is that for example if a lady's husband doesn't let her go out of the home and she does she is a criminal! If a man kill a lady he is not punished he just have to pay the money but if he kill a man he will be hanged up! (ladies are half a man in iran so if he kill 2 lady then they hang him up)

The reason he tries to tell lies in Iran is that here are some stupid ppl believing him but I was really shocked when he was trying to fool American ppl in Colombia university with his stupid answers! It's a shame really!

Last night in Iran I saw a program of him (when he was back to Tehran's airport) in TV, he was just blaming America & the university, he was telling that in America he had found poverty, he thinks here in Iran we dont have it! When he is talking he allways try to ignore everything and fool people.


He is a racist and if he get the nuclear power he will kill everyone who is not muslim! In their holly book it says kill anyone who doesn't believe in god!

Something else... as u know when he was telling lies in the university ppl tried to laugh to moke him but u know when Iran showed the program they had mixed the clap sound with his speech!!! That's funny!

Answer 2

You have some really good answers. Sammi v and Wayne g reflect my opinion exactly. Pastor guy however I disagree with because of the fact that the liberal side of things is all you will get at Columbia University (and many others). As has been stated already they would not allow the Minutemen to speak . Freedom of speech has to go both ways or it's Communism in my book. It's bad enough that our Universities in America have become a hostile environment towards Christianity (even though that's what the majority were founded by and on), But inviting this man to speak is just as others have said, like inviting Hitler to speak here at a time when our soldiers were fighting and dying to protect us from the very ideals he was fighting for. What a slap in the face to our troops who have and will die by the arms that Iran supplies to Iraq. Disgusting.God bless!!

Answer 3

We should only listen to Fox. Anything else other than that is just propaganda from the left that should not have the right to open their mouth. Is in the Constitution, freedom of speech is allowed if we agree with what is said and that is the base of the freedom we are going to impose to the world.

Answer 4

Is it okay to have the United Nations located in USA? It is high time we moved the UN headquarters to a totally neutral country or better still, the UN should consider buying and developing an island in the Asian or African continent into new UN headquarters!

Answer 5

I think it is incredible that Columbia U. saw fit to invite Ahmadinejad to speak here and give his hatred and lies a forum all in the name of diversity of opinion, yet the same university denies speakers from the MinuteMen group, who is trying to protect our borders, and won't allow them to speak at the same podium.
It is incredible to me that the hypocritical bastard dean that runs that school then tries to cover up his blunder by a few slaps on the wrist of the Iranian president. The dean's actions are a clear indication of what it means to exhibit weak moral fiber in a decision making process.

Answer 6

I think it's messed up to have him come to our country as a guest, period. (It'd be about like inviting Hitler!) Besides, it's a slap in the face to our vets who served to protect us against guys like him, let alone the people who were held captive!!!! (I would also be concerned for security reasons...why would he WANT to address Americans? Maybe because we tend to have short memories? What did he think he would gain?)

Answer 7

Of course. As long as we're a freedom-loving democracy with First Amendment rights (Freedom of Speech), someone as disagreeable as Iran's leader has every right to speak. As citizens, we also have a right not to listen to his speech.

Answer 8

Columbia would have loved to have had Pol Pot as an invited guest.

Answer 9

Good replies from Sami V and Wayne G.

Answer 10

He proved a world leader can talk a lot and say nothing.