The Iranian president, Mahmod Ahmadinejad, came to the U.S. this week to address the United Nations and to speak, by invitation, at a prestigious U.S. University.

Much has already been written about the Iranian President, so I will refrain from stating the obvious, to which we all know about this dictator of Iran and his feeling about the Holocaust and Israel. I want to speak to the way he was treated as an invited guest to Columbia University.

To begin, I want to say that I personally think the President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, made a mistake inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia at this time, with regard to the current political atmosphere and world events. However he made his decision and stood by it, claiming he would take the leader of Iran to task on many issues like the Holocaust, Human rights, Nuclear war etc. etc.. I respected him for that.

But what I saw from Lee Bollinger in his introduction of the Iranian President, was, to say the least, a surprising and stunning displayed of calculated disrespect and belligerence toward an invited foreign leader.

During his introduction he called the Iranian President a "petty and cruel dictator."

He continued with his harangue and monologue as students listened attentively to his every word, with the suggestion that Ahmadinejad was either "brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," because of his continued denial of the Holocaust.


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This was an obviously craven and cowardly capitulation to outside pressures, and unworthy of the academic institution that Bollinger represents. He should have challenged Ahmedinejad’s many ridiculous and absurd statements in a manner that was not abusive or insulting. His behavior was completely inappropriate. It presented to the world, the face of an arrogant and bullying America.

Ahmadinejad was finally introduced and allowed to speak. He was obviously shocked at how he was being treated, before being allowed to speak.

Through an interpretor, he began his speech,

“At the outset I want to complain a bit from the person who read this political statement against me. In Iran tradition requires that when we demand a person to invite to be a speaker we actually respect our students and the professors by allowing them to make their own judgment and we don't think it's necessary before this speech is even given to come in with a series of claims...”

An eruption of applause interrupted the President.

Ahmadinejad continued: “...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.

Certainly he took more than all the time I was allocated to speak, and that's fine with me. We'll just leave that to add up with the claims of respect for freedom and the freedom of speech that's given to us in this country.

Many parts of his speech, there were many insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully. .”

In my opinion, this display was just an awkward attempt by Lee Bollinger to redeem his reputation and keep the funds coming in from alumni who said they would withhold contributions to the University in the future because of his decision to have Ahmadinejad on campus.

Unfortunately, this pitiful introduction of Ahmadinejad may eclipse, in the eyes of the world, any of the appalling and horrible things that Ahmadinejad is said to stand for.

It appears, Mr. Bollinger, that Mr. Ahmadinejad may have looked more the statesman and will be shown that way throughout the Arab world.