2008 Woodie Awards
Columbia should have treated the Iranian president better
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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On Sept. 24, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared as a guest speaker at New York's Columbia University. Amid jeers that the speech was disrespectful to those affected by Sept. 11, Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia, defended the university's controversial decision to allow Ahmadinejad to speak.
However, when introducing the Iranian president at Columbia, Bollinger pointedly said, "It is a critical premise of freedom of speech that we do not honor the dishonorable when we open our public forum to their voices."
Such an irreverent disclaimer, combined with a number of hostile introductory remarks, was unnecessary and extremely rude to the visiting dignitary.
After lauding the "American genius of free speech" and inviting Ahmadinejad to speak publicly, Bollinger seemed to begrudge the Iranian president this opportunity, chastising him for exhibiting all the characteristics of "a cruel and petty dictator." When he finished spitting epithets at the president, Bollinger went on to criticize the Iranian government for persecuting women and homosexuals.
Such criticisms can be laughable, since historically, the United States has subjugated its citizens on the basis of gender, religion and sexual orientation. American legislators have spent their terms busily drafting mandates to prevent marriage meaning to relegate homosexuals to the role of second-class citizens.
In a country where homosexuality has often been treated as deplorable and where women rarely earn the same wages as their male counterparts, it seems hypocritical to condemn Iran for its own shortcomings.
Fortunately, Ahmadinejad handled Bollinger's verbal assault with dignity. He thanked Columbia's administrators for allowing him the opportunity to speak and gently rebuked Bollinger, saying, "In Iran, tradition requires that when . . . we invite a person to be a speaker, we actually respect our students and professors by allowing them to make their own judgment, and we don't think it's necessary before the speech is even given to come in with a series of claims."
Ahmadinejad pointed out that many of the claims made in Bollinger's introduction regarding Iranian policy were inaccurate. He lamented that Western media often distorts the truth and prevents cultural relativism.
Certainly, a person wouldn't invite a guest to dinner and then insult him or her. When a foreign leader is invited to speak, especially in a liberal setting like Columbia University, he or she should be treated with respect. Having Ahmadinejad as a guest was an honor and an opportunity to learn. The way he was treated by his hosts was reprehensible.
However, when introducing the Iranian president at Columbia, Bollinger pointedly said, "It is a critical premise of freedom of speech that we do not honor the dishonorable when we open our public forum to their voices."
Such an irreverent disclaimer, combined with a number of hostile introductory remarks, was unnecessary and extremely rude to the visiting dignitary.
After lauding the "American genius of free speech" and inviting Ahmadinejad to speak publicly, Bollinger seemed to begrudge the Iranian president this opportunity, chastising him for exhibiting all the characteristics of "a cruel and petty dictator." When he finished spitting epithets at the president, Bollinger went on to criticize the Iranian government for persecuting women and homosexuals.
Such criticisms can be laughable, since historically, the United States has subjugated its citizens on the basis of gender, religion and sexual orientation. American legislators have spent their terms busily drafting mandates to prevent marriage meaning to relegate homosexuals to the role of second-class citizens.
In a country where homosexuality has often been treated as deplorable and where women rarely earn the same wages as their male counterparts, it seems hypocritical to condemn Iran for its own shortcomings.
Fortunately, Ahmadinejad handled Bollinger's verbal assault with dignity. He thanked Columbia's administrators for allowing him the opportunity to speak and gently rebuked Bollinger, saying, "In Iran, tradition requires that when . . . we invite a person to be a speaker, we actually respect our students and professors by allowing them to make their own judgment, and we don't think it's necessary before the speech is even given to come in with a series of claims."
Ahmadinejad pointed out that many of the claims made in Bollinger's introduction regarding Iranian policy were inaccurate. He lamented that Western media often distorts the truth and prevents cultural relativism.
Certainly, a person wouldn't invite a guest to dinner and then insult him or her. When a foreign leader is invited to speak, especially in a liberal setting like Columbia University, he or she should be treated with respect. Having Ahmadinejad as a guest was an honor and an opportunity to learn. The way he was treated by his hosts was reprehensible.
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