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Columbia’s Ahmadinejad Controversy

September 24, 2007 5:18 PM

ABC’s Aaron Katersky blogs from the campus:

The Columbia campus was filled with some of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's most hateful words. They were printed on fliers advertising a rally to speak out against the Iranian leader's presence. Accessing campus took a special sign-in sheet and a walk past burly guards. At the protest some students were filled with passion. Others ate sushi while passively listening to the speakers.

In the student center, Ahmadinejad walked onto the stage here to scattered applause. He offered a wave before he sat and listened to Columbia University's Lee Bollinger criticize him on an array of Ahmadinejad's most controversial positions. "Mr. President," Bollinger said, "You exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator." Bollinger said Ahmadinejad's "dangerous propaganda" about the Holocaust makes him "ridiculous." Bollinger said he felt the weight of the civilized world in expressing "revulsion" at what Ahmadinejad stands for. In response, Ahmadinejad said he thought it unnecessary to "vaccinate" students and faculty before his speech began. He then began an hour-long canonical trek that ended in the conclusion that science is a divine gift used by some "big powers" to "try to control everything in the name of security." He said 2 or 3 monopolistic powers want to force their word on the peace-loving Iranian people. Ahmadinejad believes himself an academic and he called for additional research into the Holocaust instead of a "wave of insults." He said the Holocaust should be open to all perspectives.

There were scattered boos and some applause at the end of his prepared remarks before a series of questions about terrorism, Israel, women's rights, the Holocaust.

For all of the firestorm, the event ended up relatively tame. The student rally gained in volume but remained peaceful. Bollinger's dressing down drew applause from many. Students called this event the most hands-on speech they'll witness in terms of its influence on world affairs, and some students also said Ahmadinejad should be challenged but had the right to speak. There were protestors entirely opposed to his invitation here, those who find his Holocaust and Israel remarks intolerable. Ahmadinejad was pressed on the most controversial issues but offered little clarity to satisfy his critics.

I was part of an international media contingent that covered today's events with an interest in what he would say and how the school would react. In the end one is struck by how little fanfare ultimately came from the remarks. It was more theater than substantive policy, but perhaps that's instructive in helping us understand a world leader with enormous sway over American foreign policy.

September 24, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (2)

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Posted by: Robert H | Sep 25, 2007 7:58:31 AM

Posted by: KHALID | Sep 16, 2008 4:17:35 AM

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