Ahmadinejad to Speak at Columbia University

President Ahmadinejad, the titular leader of the Islamic theocracy in Iran, is scheduled to speak at Columbia University in New York on Monday. The school made the announcement today amid cries to reconsider their decision.

Apparently the Columbia University president feels that some dialog can be opened or that Ahmadinejad will respond to questions in a way that will somehow provide some insight into his rationale for providing militiamen and explosive devices that have killed and wounded numerous American soldiers in Iraq. By all credible accounts Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons that will tilt the balance of power in the middle east in their favor and further destabilize a region that is already chaotic.

The US ambassador in Iraq, David Crocker recently reported to Congress just last week that he has met with Iranian diplomats in Baghdad and they have not provided any concrete evidence of a willingness to lend their help to stabilizing Iraq. Ahmadinejad has openly called for the destruction of Israel, denied the fact that the Holocaust occurred and imprisoned British soldiers from Iraq just to mention a few of his antics. Iran has been identified as a state supporter of terrorism by the United States and the United Nations. Why would a major university in the United States provide a forum for him to provide propaganda and myth to the world and the American public. Clearly he believes his arguments may gain favor. One would think that discussions with Ahmadinejad should be restricted to formal talks involving members of the American diplomatic corps.

In November 2006 Ahmadinejad wrote a lengthy letter to the American people calling for the United States to withdraw from Iraq and some months later he stated that Iraq was willing to "fill the void" that might be created by a withdrawal of forces from Iraq. He has obviously been following the public debate about US involvement in Iraq and hopes to capitalize on the freedom of expression that is guaranteed in America.

Sadly, the same rights that can provide him a forum at a major university in America are not available in Iran. Clearly, the theocratic government in Iran does not allow their citizens free speech and intimidates and imprisons any that would disagree with his government. While many, to include myself, would love the opportunity to discuss issues with him, it would seem to undermine the formal attempts by the United States government to open a legitimate dialog if Iraq was willing.

Columbia University should be ashamed of this action. However, perhaps this can be expected from a university that has forbid the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) to have classes on campus like the vast majority of universities across our land. President Bollinger of Columbia joined in an effort to continue to forbid ROTC in 2005 even though a majority of students supported the ROTC program.

You can voice your opposition or even your support by contacting bollinger@columbia.edu or by calling his office at 212-854-9970.