Iranians condemn U.S. reception of leader:

[Praxius]

CTV.ca | Iranians condemn U.S. reception of leader

NEW YORK -- Iranians on Tuesday called the combative introduction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by the head of Columbia University "shameful" and said the harsh words only added to their image of the United States as a bully. In a region where the tradition of hospitality outweighs personal opinions about people, many here thought Columbia University President Lee Bollinger's aggressive tone -- including telling Ahmadinejad that he exhibited the signs of a "petty and cruel dictator" -- was over the top. "The surprising point of the last night meeting is the behavior of the university president," state-run radio reported, describing Bollinger's introduction as "full of insult, which was mostly Zionists' propaganda against Iran." The chancellors of seven Iranian universities issued a letter on Tuesday to Bollinger saying his statements were "deeply shameful" and invited him to Iran. In the letter, they asked him to respond to 10 questions ranging from: "Why did the U.S. support the bloodthirsty dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-88 Iraqi-imposed war on Iran?" to "Why has the U.S. military failed to find al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden even with all its advanced equipment?" Ahmadinejad's visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly has created a stir and thousands have protested his there. Despite calls to cancel Ahmadinejad's question-and-answer forum at Columbia, Bollinger said the hardline leader, known for his anti-Israel and U.S. rhetoric, should be allowed to speak. Ahmadinejad smiled at first in response to Bollinger's words, then decried the "insults" and "unfriendly treatment." In his speech, Ahmadinejad portrayed himself as an intellectual and argued that his administration respected reason and science. He even drew audience applause at times, such as when he bemoaned the plight of the Palestinians. But the Iranian also found himself drawn into the type of rhetoric that has alienated American audiences in the past. He questioned the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks and defended Holocaust revisionists. While Ahmadinejad likely expected at worst a hostile grilling by the audience, Bollinger's sardonic comments reflected a blatant disregard for the tradition of hospitality revered in the Middle East. His comments may deflect some of the U.S. criticism he got for issuing the invitation to the Iranian president, but it could also backfire by drawing sympathy for Ahmadinejad, even in quarters where he would normally be sharply criticized. "I don't know why he (Ahmadinejad) stayed there and did not leave the meeting. Their attitude was an insult to the nature of the meeting. They should not treat him as a suspect," said Mahmoud Rouhi, a nurse, in Tehran. Though state media did not broadcast Monday's event live in Farsi, state-run TV showed a recorded version on Tuesday. "The meeting and their approach showed that Americans, even in a cultural position, are cowboys and nothing more," said Rasoul Qaresi, shopping at a grocery store in Tehran. Ahmadinejad's international allies have also taken his side. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is expecting a visit from Ahmadinejad later this week, said he spoke by phone with the Iranian leader on Monday after his tense showdown at Columbia. "I congratulate him, in the name of the Venezuelan people, before a new aggression of the U.S. empire," Chavez said, adding that it seemed Ahmadinejad was the subject of "an ambush." Ahmadinejad is set to address the UN General Assembly later Tuesday. Thousands of people protested Ahmadinejad's visit Monday and more were expected to rally in the streets Tuesday when the Iranian leader attends the meeting for the third time in three years. Tensions are high between Iran and the U.S. over Washington allegations that Tehran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons and supplying Shiite militias in Iraq with deadly weapons that kill U.S. troops. Iran denies both claims. German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened tougher sanctions against Iran if it remains intractable on the dispute over its nuclear program. Merkel said she intends to make clear in her address to the General Assembly later Tuesday that an Iranian nuclear bomb would have devastating consequences not only for Israel and the whole of the Middle East, but for Europe and the rest of the world. "For this reason, the international community must not let itself become splintered" in dealing with Iran, Merkel said. "The world should not have to prove to Iran that it is building a (nuclear) bomb, but Iran must convince the world that it doesn't want to build a nuclear bomb," Merkel told reporters in New York.

You know, sure he might have conflicting issues on what's written in history, and he may have a different view on how to run a country compared to others, but this article echos my opinions on how he was treated by those who invited him to speak.

Inviting him to this confrence, only to have the University's president shell out insults to the leader of a country whom you invited to his university just shows the thug attitude and show boating, higher-than-thou attitude the US is becoming known for by the rest of the world.

The thing that kinda urks me the most about this whole situation is the acusations by those who are in charge of educating your children in post-secondary facilities that they threw at him, with no evidence backing them up.

Whether or not his country is seeking nukes, is supporting terrorism, or not.... you don't go inviting the leader of any country to a hidden witch hunt and treat him like a side show on international cameras..... it just makes the hosting country look like a D*ck!

[Zeebadee]

Bollinger proved himself to be a coward. He didn't have the courage to face up to the criticism that his invitation generated, so he resorted to a cheap attack on the very person he invited to speak in order to make himself look better. What a POS.

If this is an indication of what's leading our universities, it's no wonder that we seem to be turning out substandard graduates.

[butterbut]

Bollinger is an idiot for inviting him. Nothing good was going to come from this.

But I'm glad he insulted that peice of crap. As far as I'm concerned he doesn't deserve any amount of respect anywhere.

[ibm]

Quote by: butterbut Bollinger is an idiot for inviting him. Nothing good was going to come from this. But I'm glad he insulted that peice of crap. As far as I'm concerned he doesn't deserve any amount of respect anywhere.

he deserves the same amount of respect our president does - be it at the u.n. assembly or at the university.

too bad you can't see this. and the fact you can't see this proves the point of that article in the op's post.

i declined an admission from that university a number of years ago. now i'm kinda glad for my decision.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: ibm he deserves the same amount of respect our president does - be it at the u.n. assembly or at the university. too bad you can't see this. and the fact you can't see this proves the point of that article in the op's post. i declined an admission from that university a number of years ago. now i'm kinda glad for my decision.

While there is a certain truth to that first sentence, the UN doesn't have control over Hugo Chavez's's's speech. Persumably the the administration does have a certain amount of control over Bollinger.


Incidentally, I still respect the Iranian President for his intellect, and courage far more than I respect President Bush. Bush is just a bully with a pulpit.

[Zeebadee]

Quote by: Milton Bradley Incidentally, I still respect the Iranian President for his intellect, and courage far more than I respect President Bush. Bush is just a bully with a pulpit.

I agree. That was made evident by the restrained response to the insults and rudeness of bollinger's introduction. Probably the real reason for the mistaken belief that "Nothing good was going to come from this".

[ibm]

it's hard for me personally to have much respect for gw. but in an cultural and/or diplomatic setting like that, all deserve the same respect - regardless who is more respectable or more intelligent, or representing a more powerful nation. that is what i meant.

[Praxius]

Another point I would like to make is the actual response from Iranians in this matter.

The Iranians condemn the attacks on their president, but they sure didn't give off the impression of a war thirsty culture ready to go on the offensive. I imagine if Bush went to Iran and got that kind of treatment from Iranians, most in the US would jump on the chance to goto war for such disrespect.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Praxius Another point I would like to make is the actual response from Iranians in this matter. The Iranians condemn the attacks on their president, but they sure didn't give off the impression of a war thirsty culture ready to go on the offensive.

True. the supposedly more rabid representative seems to be the more diplomatic (if not rational) one. Our government has rejected even the modets gestures of good will here, instead acting paranoid and criticizing the "photo op" aspects.

Well, of course there are photo ops! That's one of the things sleazy politicians do. Bush knows that well enough.

And here is more to consider:

AFP: US House votes to tighten Iran nuclear sanctions WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US House of Representatives aimed a sharp jab at Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday, slapping new energy sanctions on Tehran, and branding its Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group. A measure targeting the elite military corps and the lucrative Iranian energy sector sailed through the House by 397 votes to 16, hours before Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

This will certainly set back relations, no matter how you slice it. Paranoia will be fed.
Iranians, like Americans, do travel around the world, and not always just to blow things up.
Our government seems eager to forget simple things like that these days.


Grandpa h.

[another day]

Quote by: ibm he deserves the same amount of respect our president does - be it at the u.n. assembly or at the university..

And that is, no respect at all. No respect for oppressive, religious fanatic dictators like bush and ahmadinejad.

[jose]

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Monday afternoon met with a group of Jewish rabbis who gave him a silver grail as a sign of friendship. The president is currently in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. The rabbis carried a placard which read, "I am Jewish not a Zionist." A senior rabbi of the group said that they considered the visit to New York of President Ahmadinejad as an exceptional opportunity and would never forget it. He referred to the Iranian president as a person who made a distinction between Jews and Zionists. "You understand us and make a distinction between the violent behavior of Zionists and the religious beliefs of Jews," said the senior rabbi who called President Ahmadinejad "a pious man who is seeking to restore peace in the world and has humanitarian plans." Appreciating the rabbis for their gift, President Ahmadinejad said he was happy to visit them. "All people in the world have now understood that Judaism is different from Zionism," said the president. He added, "Zionists are a political group looking for taking advantage of the opportunities while Jews are the followers of the Moses who promoted peace and friendship." President Ahmadinejad stressed that there was no disagreement between the followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as they all pray the same God and are brothers.

Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran News Service

[Milton Bradley]

Thanks Jose, though you know this thread is going reeling off on *cough* some tangent now.


A little further clarification for us that it's the message, and not the man that creates the hostility around Ahmadinejad.


Looked at ovjectively, there is very little difference between the way most Democrats, and Republicans, and the media treat this guy, and they way they treat Ron Paul.


When will people realize that it's really the Suit Monsters that they need to fear?

[shrike]

Apperanlty I was right about islamist-leftist-alliance.This thread proved my point perfectly.

[Matt W]

If you haven't got anything to say on-topic, shrike, don't post.

[phoenix_fire]

Well, if the U.S. is a bully (and it often is...) then Iran is the creepy stalker kid in the corner that likes to stick needles through his skin, torture and kill small animals, and is secretly stealing science lab stuff in order to carry out a self-aggrandizing plot of blowing up the school. Unfortunately, the former tends to egg on the latter.

Even though Iran seems to disapprove of everything and anything that americans do from the point of waking up in the morning, I can understand the outrage about the treatment of their president. In my opinion, he should not have been invited to speak at all, but since he was, he should have been treated civilly. If it was the university's intention to discredit him, they should have just let him speak without introduction. He's fairly adept at discrediting himself without any help.

[bishop]

this was definitely a sign of the maturity (or lack thereof) of the people in leadership positions in our country.

there's no excuse to invite someone to speak and then berate them just to appease one's critics. he either should not have been invited in the first place, or treated professionally.

[Praxius]

Quote by: shrike Apperanlty I was right about islamist-leftist-alliance.This thread proved my point perfectly.

To bring this into connection a bit, I am not a supporter of Iran, Islam, or the US and Christianity for that matter.... I am in support of treating others as you would expect to be treated.

If you are invited to some place to make a speech out of an image of an open mind from those who ask, you don't normally expect to be thrown to the lynch mob or a witch hunt and then insulted the whole time you're there.

If they didn't want to hear what he had to say, then they shouldn't have offered the inventation, plain and simple. It only makes the image of the US look more "Dickish" and makes Iran look like the good guy in this situation.

[shrike]

I am in support of treating others as you would expect to be treated.

How would you treat Hitler, Stalin or Mao?

If you are invited to some place to make a speech out of an image of an open mind from those who ask, you don't normally expect to be thrown to the lynch mob or a witch hunt and then insulted the whole time you're there If they didn't want to hear what he had to say, then they shouldn't have offered the inventation, plain and simple. It only makes the image of the US look more "Dickish" and makes Iran look like the good guy in this situation .

He knew that he wouldn’t meet with friendly auditory. I don't understand why all the whining. He was asked hard questions and rightly so. He didn't expect that it would like visit to some Muslim midrase.

[phoenix_fire]

I wouldn't have invited them.

We all know that Iran is mostly immature. As a woman, that goes double for me. I like my hair, thank you very much, and I went to great lengths to make it the way it is. I don't plan to shove it under a burqa...much less wait for some man to escort me everywhere I want to go on penalty of something very unpleasant. But the U.S. is supposed to be better than that. We're not supposed to sink to their level.

[PatrickHenry]

Quote by: shrike How would you treat Hitler, Stalin or Mao?

Same way I would treat Ben Gurion, Sharon or Olmert...

But Ahmadinejad deserves better than to be berated by the group that offered a friendly invitation. That's a betrayal.