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Ahmadinejad Speaks During Controversial Appearance at Columbia University
Monday, September 24, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday questioned why Iran doesn't
have the right to have a nuclear program but the United States does and
repeated his inference that the Holocaust is a myth in animated remarks
before students and faculty at Columbia University.
"How come you have that right and we don't have it?" he challenged,
referring to the development of nuclear weapons capabilities.
During his third visit to New York in three years, Ahmadinejad told students
and faculty that his country didn't take part in terrorism.
"We don't need to resort to terrorism. We've been victims of terrorism,
ourselves," he said.
Ahmadinejad opened his remarks by objecting to the scolding he got from
Columbia University's president.
After sitting through the blistering introduction by Lee Bollinger - in
which he was lambasted for calling for the annihilation of Israel, denying
the Holocaust and supporting the execution of children - Ahmadinejad said it
was insulting to be spoken about that way.
"At the outset, I want to complain a bit about the person who read this
political statement made against me," Ahmadinejad said. "In Iran, we don't
think it's necessary to come in before the speech has already begun with a
series of complaints ... It was an insult to me and the knowledge of the
persons here."
RelatedStories
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Arrives in NYC, Dismisses Nuke Threat
in TV Interview Columbia University Plans to Host Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad Video
Columbia Dean's Hitler Invite In his scathing introduction to the
much-anticipated on-campus event, Bollinger told the leader of Iran that he
exhibits "all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."
Bollinger levied repeated criticisms against Ahmadinejad, calling on him to
answer a series of challenges about his leadership, blasting his views about
the "myth" of the Holocaust "absurd" and saying that he doubted he "will
have the intellectual courage to answer these questions."
"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,"
Bollinger said, to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and
ignorant.
"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous,"
Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented
event in human history."
Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation, said
Bollinger's opening was full of "insults and claims that were incorrect,
regretfully."
Ahmadinejad accused Bollinger of offering "unfriendly treatment" under the
influence of the U.S. press and politicians.
He did not address Bollinger's accusations directly, instead launching into
a long religious discursion laced with quotes with the Quran before turning
to criticism of the Bush administration and past American governments, from
warrantless wiretapping to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bollinger was strongly criticized for inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia, and
had promised tough questions in his introduction to Ahmadinejad's talk. But
the strident and personal nature of his attack on the president of Iran was
startling.
"You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Bollinger
told Ahmadinejad about the leader's Holocaust denial. "Will you cease this
outrage?"
Ahmadinejad said he simply wanted more research on the Holocaust, which he
said was abused as a justification for Israeli mistreatment of the
Palestinians.
"Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an event
they had nothing to do with?" Ahmadinejad asked. He closed his prepared
remarks with a terse smile, to applause and boos, before taking questions
from the audience.
President Bush said Ahmadinejad's appearance spoke to the "greatness" of the
United States of America.
"He's the head of a state sponsor of terror, and yet, an institution in our
country gives him the chance to express his point of view, which really
speaks to the freedoms of the country," Bush told FOX News on Monday. "I'm
not so sure I'd offer the same invitation, but nevertheless, it speaks
volumes about the greatness, really, of America. We're confident enough to
let a person express his views. I just really hope he tells everybody the
truth."
Bush said that while he's "not sure" he would have offered the Iranian
leader a platform from which to outline his agenda, he thinks it's OK that
Columbia University did invite Ahmadinejad to speak.
"This is a place of high learning and if the president (of Columbia) thinks
it's a good idea to have the leader from Iran come and talk to the students
as an educational experience, I guess it's OK with me," Bush told FOX News
in an interview. "The problem is Ahmadinejad uses these platforms to advance
his agenda, which I suspect in this case ... He doesn't want America to know
his true intentions."
Ahmadinejad began the first full day of his controversial New York City trip
Monday amid mounting protests and air-tight security, with his first
appearance beginning just after noon EDT via video before the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C., followed by his highly publicized visit to
Columbia University in New York City, which began after 1:30 p.m.
Before his Columbia appearance Monday, the Iranian leader opened his U.S.
speaking tour by inferring the Holocaust was a myth, taking a swipe at
Israel - it's "a regime based... on racism" - and defending his request to
visit Ground Zero.
The Iranian leader, speaking via video from New York City to journalists at
the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., tossed aside a question about
Israel by saying Iran doesn't recognize the "regime," accusing it of killing
people and committing various other atrocities.
It was typical of many of Ahmadinejad's responses, which often started with
laughing challenges to journalists in which he said, "That's not right," or
asked, "Where are you getting that?"
On the Holocaust - which the Iranian leader has called a "myth" - he said
that "if the Holocaust is a reality, why don't we let more research be done
on it? ... Where did the Holocaust happen to begin with? It happened in
Europe, and given that, why is it that the Palestinian people should be
displaced? Why should they give up their land?"
He also said that he wanted to "pay my respects" at Ground Zero - the site
of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City, where the World Trade
Center once stood - since his visit here last year. But, he claimed, the
U.S. government and other politicians prevented that from happening.
"I was interested in expressing my sympathy to victims of tragedy," he said.
"It's the responsibility of everyone to understand the root causes of 9/11."
At the Press Club, the Iranian president delivered some remarks through an
interpreter, and then answered questions from the moderator. A similar
format was used at the Columbia event.
Ahmadinejad said the world needs to build a better future "based on peace
and security of all humanity," and he spoke of a world full of love,
kindness, beauty and allegiance to God as the ultimate goal.
"No one should prevent love and kindness from flourishing in mankind and
turn it into hostility," the Iranian president said. "Family is the center
of love and beauty."
He said people should follow God, who would lead them to a "sublime" state.
"When we take a look around us, we are not happy with what we see,"
Ahmadinejad said. "Threats of war have affected everyone. Continuous wars
have in fact hurt the human spirit. If we look at the root cause of some of
these problems, we will be able to think about how to build a better future,
a more prosperous future based on peace and security of all humanity."
Ahmadinejad spoke of the importance of the press, in spite of the fact that
Iran's media is state-run and criticized as tightly controlled by the
government.
"The press plays a connecting role. It provides information and can serve as
a channel for promoting current thinking," he said. "The role of the press
is to disseminate moral behavior ... The press can be the voices of the
divine prophets."
The Press Club moderator asked the Iranian leader about Iranian weapons and
involvement in Iraq, about his views on whether religions other than Islam
have a place in the world and on his country's treatment of women and
approach to the freedom of the press.
The Iranian president repeatedly asked where the moderator got his
information and challenged the truth of his statements.
And when asked whether Iran was sending weapons into Iraq to fight against
American troops, Ahmadinejad replied that "Iraq security means our
security." When pressed, he denied that Iran was engaging in that kind of
activity.
When asked whether he wanted to go to war, he said he did not.
"Why is there a need for war?" Ahmadinejad said. "Why should they threaten
another country? Why should they create more insecurity? I think officials
who talk this kind of talk should really be pressured and warn to know what
to say and when not to say something."
Ahmadinejad said that the religions of "Christ and Moses" as well as Islam
are "all brothers. They all want the same thing."
He defended Iranian women as among the most free in the world, and said they
were involved in all walks of life in Iran.
The Iranian president started his speech at the National Press Club by
reciting some verses from the Koran. No one on the panel or seated in the
audience applauded or reacted in any way when he was introduced.
Amid angry demonstrations on the Ivy League campus and at the United
Nations, Ahmadinejad delivered a speech and conducted a question-and-answer
session at Columbia, followed by a scheduled address to the U.N. General
Assembly on Tuesday.
Thousands of people jammed two blocks of 47th Street across from the United
Nations to protest Ahmadinejad's visit to New York. Organizers claimed a
turnout of tens of thousands. Police did not immediately have a crowd
estimate.
The speakers, most of them politicians and officials from Jewish
organizations, proclaimed their support for Israel and criticized the
Iranian leader for his remarks questioning the Holocaust.
"We're here today to send a message that there is never a reason to give a
hatemonger an open stage," New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
said.
Protesters also assembled at Columbia. Dozens stood near the lecture hall
where Ahmadinejad was scheduled to speak, linking arms and singing
traditional Jewish folk songs about peace and brotherhood, while nearby a
two-person band played "You Are My Sunshine."
Signs in the crowd displayed a range of messages, including one that read
"We refuse to choose between Islamic fundamentalism and American
imperialism."
Ahmadinejad said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press that Iran
would not launch an attack on Israel or any other nation, and he does not
believe the U.S. is preparing for war against Iran.
"Iran will not attack any country," Ahmadinejad told the AP. Iran has always
maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, he said, and has "never
sought to expand its territory."
Asked whether he believed the U.S. is preparing for war, he responded: "That
is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard
arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes
domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy
failures over Iraq."
In a 30-minute interview at a hotel near the United Nations, Ahmadinejad
struck a soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on
humanitarian concerns and seeking justice.
He reiterated his call for a debate at the United Nations on world issues
with President Bush.
Referring to fears of a military campaign against Iran, he said: "We don't
think you can compensate for one mistake by committing more mistakes."
The Columbia event has spurred an emotional debate about free speech.
Over the weekend, the university said it would welcome any notable figure
visiting the United States - even Adolf Hitler - to speak to students and
faculty at the Ivy League college.
But there are those who have questioned the New York college's standards.
They ask why a school that will not allow an ROTC program to be part of its
curriculum would allow Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, one of America's avowed enemies,
onto its campus.
Critics wonder why the leader of a nation that exports terrorism is allowed
to speak, but the leader of an American organization that seeks to secure
U.S. borders was not.
"It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are
your adversaries," Bollinger told ABC's "Good Morning America." "To watch
them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason. To see
whether they're fanatical or to see whether they are sly."
The Iranian president addressed students and faculty at a forum only days
after Columbia retracted a speaking invitation to the president of the
Minuteman Project, a controversial citizens' group that seeks to secure
America's borders from illegal immigrants, even going so far as to try
building a fence along the border with Mexico.
Minuteman founder and president Jim Gilchrist said he feels "sweet and sour"
toward Columbia after an invitation to participate in an Oct. 4 talk was
taken away last week. Gilchrist appeared at Columbia last year, but his
speech was thwarted when students and other opponents stormed the stage as
he took the podium.
"I've always respected Columbia, but I've relegated it to a gutter school
after that incident," Gilchrist said in a phone interview. "They've stopped
free speech. That's worse than killing people. With that, you can kill an
entire nation."
But Gilchrist - an ardent supporter of the First Amendment - actually backs
the university's decision to host Ahmadinejad.
"I'm defending his appearance," he said. "I think he should speak. To say
no, he cannot speak, is to support exactly the same thing that happened to
me."
He believes Columbia's administrators are good about fostering free speech
but give too much power to "radical" groups in determining who gets a forum
on campus.
Student and faculty group the Columbia Political Union initially voted to
ask Gilchrist back this year, but it was ultimately the organization that
reversed the vote and rescinded his invitation. The CPU apparently was not a
key factor in the Ahmadinejad visit, which is sponsored by Columbia's School
of International and Public Affairs and is part of the university's annual
World Leaders Forum.
Several Columbia students - even some who planned to rally against
Ahmadinejad - said they supported the Iranian president's appearance.
"He's a leader of a large nation and what he says is important, even if it's
wrong," said Dmitry Zakharov, 25, a Columbia University graduate student.
University officials did not return calls from FOXNews.com seeking comment
on the school's public-speaking policies and decisions.
But John Coatsworth, the dean of the School of International and Public
Affairs, said in a weekend interview with FOX News that just about anyone
would be welcome to speak at the university - except the leaders of
countries with which the United States is at war.
As for Hitler, he said, prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939, "if Hitler
were in the United States and wanted a platform from which to speak, he
would have plenty of platforms to speak in the United States. If he were
willing to engage in a debate and discussion, and be challenged by Columbia
students and faculty, we would certainly invite him."
"Columbia, as a community dedicated to learning and scholarship, is
committed to confronting ideas," Bollinger said in a statement issued last
week. "On occasion this will bring us into contact with beliefs many, most
or even all of us will find offensive and even odious. ...
"It should never be thought that merely to listen to ideas we deplore in any
way implies our endorsement of those ideas, or the weakness of our resolve
to resist those ideas or our naivet
Ahmadinejad Speaks During Controversial Appearance at Columbia University
Monday, September 24, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday questioned why Iran doesn't
have the right to have a nuclear program but the United States does and
repeated his inference that the Holocaust is a myth in animated remarks
before students and faculty at Columbia University.
"How come you have that right and we don't have it?" he challenged,
referring to the development of nuclear weapons capabilities.
During his third visit to New York in three years, Ahmadinejad told students
and faculty that his country didn't take part in terrorism.
"We don't need to resort to terrorism. We've been victims of terrorism,
ourselves," he said.
Ahmadinejad opened his remarks by objecting to the scolding he got from
Columbia University's president.
After sitting through the blistering introduction by Lee Bollinger - in
which he was lambasted for calling for the annihilation of Israel, denying
the Holocaust and supporting the execution of children - Ahmadinejad said it
was insulting to be spoken about that way.
"At the outset, I want to complain a bit about the person who read this
political statement made against me," Ahmadinejad said. "In Iran, we don't
think it's necessary to come in before the speech has already begun with a
series of complaints ... It was an insult to me and the knowledge of the
persons here."
RelatedStories
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Arrives in NYC, Dismisses Nuke Threat
in TV Interview Columbia University Plans to Host Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad Video
Columbia Dean's Hitler Invite In his scathing introduction to the
much-anticipated on-campus event, Bollinger told the leader of Iran that he
exhibits "all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."
Bollinger levied repeated criticisms against Ahmadinejad, calling on him to
answer a series of challenges about his leadership, blasting his views about
the "myth" of the Holocaust "absurd" and saying that he doubted he "will
have the intellectual courage to answer these questions."
"Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,"
Bollinger said, to loud applause.
He said Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and
ignorant.
"When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous,"
Bollinger said. "The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented
event in human history."
Ahmadinejad rose, also to applause, and after a religious invocation, said
Bollinger's opening was full of "insults and claims that were incorrect,
regretfully."
Ahmadinejad accused Bollinger of offering "unfriendly treatment" under the
influence of the U.S. press and politicians.
He did not address Bollinger's accusations directly, instead launching into
a long religious discursion laced with quotes with the Quran before turning
to criticism of the Bush administration and past American governments, from
warrantless wiretapping to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bollinger was strongly criticized for inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia, and
had promised tough questions in his introduction to Ahmadinejad's talk. But
the strident and personal nature of his attack on the president of Iran was
startling.
"You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Bollinger
told Ahmadinejad about the leader's Holocaust denial. "Will you cease this
outrage?"
Ahmadinejad said he simply wanted more research on the Holocaust, which he
said was abused as a justification for Israeli mistreatment of the
Palestinians.
"Why is it that the Palestinian people are paying the price for an event
they had nothing to do with?" Ahmadinejad asked. He closed his prepared
remarks with a terse smile, to applause and boos, before taking questions
from the audience.
President Bush said Ahmadinejad's appearance spoke to the "greatness" of the
United States of America.
"He's the head of a state sponsor of terror, and yet, an institution in our
country gives him the chance to express his point of view, which really
speaks to the freedoms of the country," Bush told FOX News on Monday. "I'm
not so sure I'd offer the same invitation, but nevertheless, it speaks
volumes about the greatness, really, of America. We're confident enough to
let a person express his views. I just really hope he tells everybody the
truth."
Bush said that while he's "not sure" he would have offered the Iranian
leader a platform from which to outline his agenda, he thinks it's OK that
Columbia University did invite Ahmadinejad to speak.
"This is a place of high learning and if the president (of Columbia) thinks
it's a good idea to have the leader from Iran come and talk to the students
as an educational experience, I guess it's OK with me," Bush told FOX News
in an interview. "The problem is Ahmadinejad uses these platforms to advance
his agenda, which I suspect in this case ... He doesn't want America to know
his true intentions."
Ahmadinejad began the first full day of his controversial New York City trip
Monday amid mounting protests and air-tight security, with his first
appearance beginning just after noon EDT via video before the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C., followed by his highly publicized visit to
Columbia University in New York City, which began after 1:30 p.m.
Before his Columbia appearance Monday, the Iranian leader opened his U.S.
speaking tour by inferring the Holocaust was a myth, taking a swipe at
Israel - it's "a regime based... on racism" - and defending his request to
visit Ground Zero.
The Iranian leader, speaking via video from New York City to journalists at
the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., tossed aside a question about
Israel by saying Iran doesn't recognize the "regime," accusing it of killing
people and committing various other atrocities.
It was typical of many of Ahmadinejad's responses, which often started with
laughing challenges to journalists in which he said, "That's not right," or
asked, "Where are you getting that?"
On the Holocaust - which the Iranian leader has called a "myth" - he said
that "if the Holocaust is a reality, why don't we let more research be done
on it? ... Where did the Holocaust happen to begin with? It happened in
Europe, and given that, why is it that the Palestinian people should be
displaced? Why should they give up their land?"
He also said that he wanted to "pay my respects" at Ground Zero - the site
of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City, where the World Trade
Center once stood - since his visit here last year. But, he claimed, the
U.S. government and other politicians prevented that from happening.
"I was interested in expressing my sympathy to victims of tragedy," he said.
"It's the responsibility of everyone to understand the root causes of 9/11."
At the Press Club, the Iranian president delivered some remarks through an
interpreter, and then answered questions from the moderator. A similar
format was used at the Columbia event.
Ahmadinejad said the world needs to build a better future "based on peace
and security of all humanity," and he spoke of a world full of love,
kindness, beauty and allegiance to God as the ultimate goal.
"No one should prevent love and kindness from flourishing in mankind and
turn it into hostility," the Iranian president said. "Family is the center
of love and beauty."
He said people should follow God, who would lead them to a "sublime" state.
"When we take a look around us, we are not happy with what we see,"
Ahmadinejad said. "Threats of war have affected everyone. Continuous wars
have in fact hurt the human spirit. If we look at the root cause of some of
these problems, we will be able to think about how to build a better future,
a more prosperous future based on peace and security of all humanity."
Ahmadinejad spoke of the importance of the press, in spite of the fact that
Iran's media is state-run and criticized as tightly controlled by the
government.
"The press plays a connecting role. It provides information and can serve as
a channel for promoting current thinking," he said. "The role of the press
is to disseminate moral behavior ... The press can be the voices of the
divine prophets."
The Press Club moderator asked the Iranian leader about Iranian weapons and
involvement in Iraq, about his views on whether religions other than Islam
have a place in the world and on his country's treatment of women and
approach to the freedom of the press.
The Iranian president repeatedly asked where the moderator got his
information and challenged the truth of his statements.
And when asked whether Iran was sending weapons into Iraq to fight against
American troops, Ahmadinejad replied that "Iraq security means our
security." When pressed, he denied that Iran was engaging in that kind of
activity.
When asked whether he wanted to go to war, he said he did not.
"Why is there a need for war?" Ahmadinejad said. "Why should they threaten
another country? Why should they create more insecurity? I think officials
who talk this kind of talk should really be pressured and warn to know what
to say and when not to say something."
Ahmadinejad said that the religions of "Christ and Moses" as well as Islam
are "all brothers. They all want the same thing."
He defended Iranian women as among the most free in the world, and said they
were involved in all walks of life in Iran.
The Iranian president started his speech at the National Press Club by
reciting some verses from the Koran. No one on the panel or seated in the
audience applauded or reacted in any way when he was introduced.
Amid angry demonstrations on the Ivy League campus and at the United
Nations, Ahmadinejad delivered a speech and conducted a question-and-answer
session at Columbia, followed by a scheduled address to the U.N. General
Assembly on Tuesday.
Thousands of people jammed two blocks of 47th Street across from the United
Nations to protest Ahmadinejad's visit to New York. Organizers claimed a
turnout of tens of thousands. Police did not immediately have a crowd
estimate.
The speakers, most of them politicians and officials from Jewish
organizations, proclaimed their support for Israel and criticized the
Iranian leader for his remarks questioning the Holocaust.
"We're here today to send a message that there is never a reason to give a
hatemonger an open stage," New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
said.
Protesters also assembled at Columbia. Dozens stood near the lecture hall
where Ahmadinejad was scheduled to speak, linking arms and singing
traditional Jewish folk songs about peace and brotherhood, while nearby a
two-person band played "You Are My Sunshine."
Signs in the crowd displayed a range of messages, including one that read
"We refuse to choose between Islamic fundamentalism and American
imperialism."
Ahmadinejad said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press that Iran
would not launch an attack on Israel or any other nation, and he does not
believe the U.S. is preparing for war against Iran.
"Iran will not attack any country," Ahmadinejad told the AP. Iran has always
maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, he said, and has "never
sought to expand its territory."
Asked whether he believed the U.S. is preparing for war, he responded: "That
is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard
arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes
domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy
failures over Iraq."
In a 30-minute interview at a hotel near the United Nations, Ahmadinejad
struck a soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on
humanitarian concerns and seeking justice.
He reiterated his call for a debate at the United Nations on world issues
with President Bush.
Referring to fears of a military campaign against Iran, he said: "We don't
think you can compensate for one mistake by committing more mistakes."
The Columbia event has spurred an emotional debate about free speech.
Over the weekend, the university said it would welcome any notable figure
visiting the United States - even Adolf Hitler - to speak to students and
faculty at the Ivy League college.
But there are those who have questioned the New York college's standards.
They ask why a school that will not allow an ROTC program to be part of its
curriculum would allow Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, one of America's avowed enemies,
onto its campus.
Critics wonder why the leader of a nation that exports terrorism is allowed
to speak, but the leader of an American organization that seeks to secure
U.S. borders was not.
"It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are
your adversaries," Bollinger told ABC's "Good Morning America." "To watch
them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason. To see
whether they're fanatical or to see whether they are sly."
The Iranian president addressed students and faculty at a forum only days
after Columbia retracted a speaking invitation to the president of the
Minuteman Project, a controversial citizens' group that seeks to secure
America's borders from illegal immigrants, even going so far as to try
building a fence along the border with Mexico.
Minuteman founder and president Jim Gilchrist said he feels "sweet and sour"
toward Columbia after an invitation to participate in an Oct. 4 talk was
taken away last week. Gilchrist appeared at Columbia last year, but his
speech was thwarted when students and other opponents stormed the stage as
he took the podium.
"I've always respected Columbia, but I've relegated it to a gutter school
after that incident," Gilchrist said in a phone interview. "They've stopped
free speech. That's worse than killing people. With that, you can kill an
entire nation."
But Gilchrist - an ardent supporter of the First Amendment - actually backs
the university's decision to host Ahmadinejad.
"I'm defending his appearance," he said. "I think he should speak. To say
no, he cannot speak, is to support exactly the same thing that happened to
me."
He believes Columbia's administrators are good about fostering free speech
but give too much power to "radical" groups in determining who gets a forum
on campus.
Student and faculty group the Columbia Political Union initially voted to
ask Gilchrist back this year, but it was ultimately the organization that
reversed the vote and rescinded his invitation. The CPU apparently was not a
key factor in the Ahmadinejad visit, which is sponsored by Columbia's School
of International and Public Affairs and is part of the university's annual
World Leaders Forum.
Several Columbia students - even some who planned to rally against
Ahmadinejad - said they supported the Iranian president's appearance.
"He's a leader of a large nation and what he says is important, even if it's
wrong," said Dmitry Zakharov, 25, a Columbia University graduate student.
University officials did not return calls from FOXNews.com seeking comment
on the school's public-speaking policies and decisions.
But John Coatsworth, the dean of the School of International and Public
Affairs, said in a weekend interview with FOX News that just about anyone
would be welcome to speak at the university - except the leaders of
countries with which the United States is at war.
As for Hitler, he said, prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939, "if Hitler
were in the United States and wanted a platform from which to speak, he
would have plenty of platforms to speak in the United States. If he were
willing to engage in a debate and discussion, and be challenged by Columbia
students and faculty, we would certainly invite him."
"Columbia, as a community dedicated to learning and scholarship, is
committed to confronting ideas," Bollinger said in a statement issued last
week. "On occasion this will bring us into contact with beliefs many, most
or even all of us will find offensive and even odious. ...
"It should never be thought that merely to listen to ideas we deplore in any
way implies our endorsement of those ideas, or the weakness of our resolve
to resist those ideas or our naivet
