Columbia University Invites Iran’s Ahmadinejad; Hitler Unavailable
[Guest post by DRJ]
Columbia University has been criticized for inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak Monday on campus:
“According to John Coatsworth, interim dean of the School of International and Public Affairs, Ahmadinejad expressed interest in speaking at Columbia in the past month to history Professor Richard Bulliet, communicating through Iran’s United Nations ambassador. When Ahmadinejad agreed to the conditions of speaking at the World Leaders Forum, such as answering spectators’ questions, the engagement was confirmed.
“Opportunities to hear, challenge, and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world,” Coatsworth said in a statement.”
Now Dean Coatsworth has expanded on this: Columbia would have invited Hitler to speak:
“Professor John Coatsworth, interim dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, tells Fox News, “If he [Hitler] were willing to engage in a debate and a discussion to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly invite him.”
This may not be the best way to convince the American public that Ahmadinejad is a good choice.
— DRJ
Looks like an interesting evening.
Certainly an opportunity for some young rightling to become the new “Dont tase me, bro!” guy.
alphie (99bc18) — 9/22/2007 @ 7:07 pmHeh, Alphie.
Seriously, though, I don’t envy the security people. Wasn’t it Columbia that had security issues with the Minuteman speaker last year?
DRJ (ec59b5) — 9/22/2007 @ 7:09 pmRight you are, DRJ,
Quite a fiasco:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnn7wTgoE8
I’ll bet the President of Iran is afforded tougher security than Elmer Fudd was, though.
Take some real guts to charge the stage when he’s speaking.
alphie (99bc18) — 9/22/2007 @ 7:46 pmHey, alphie,
Are there not going to be any leftlings stepping up to the mike to grill him about the oppression of women, or the Holocaust denial, or the state-sanctioned murder of gays in his country? If liberals are going to be true to their principles they’ll have to bring up these issues, right?
Independent Conservative (394169) — 9/22/2007 @ 10:17 pmHmm, so when’s Columbia inviting Fred Phelps to speak? David Duke? Let’s try an easier one: Dick Cheney? Ward Connerly? Still too hard? How about Larry Summers?
Milhouse (f10fb3) — 9/23/2007 @ 1:46 amHere ya go, IC, send your questions for Ahmadinejad in:
If you were unable to register for the event but would still like to submit a question, please email your question to worldleaders@columbia.edu with the subject line, “Question for the President of Iran.”
Chances for a “Don’t tase me, bro!” moment seem sadly slim, though:
Registration for this program is closed.
Due to security restrictions, only those on the registration list will be able to gain admission to this event. There will be no waitlist for registration or standby line, and no walk-in guests will be permitted on the day of the event.
http://www.worldleaders.columbia.edu/events.html
alphie (99bc18) — 9/23/2007 @ 2:14 amThere are 25000 Jews in Iran.more than any other country in the mudeast outside Israel. Jews are not allowed in saudi Arabia. The Jews left in Iran do not want to leave though keeps pressuring them to go. Even bribery has not worked. Teheran has 7 kosher butcher shops and one quite famous Jewish hospital. There is one Jewish member of parliament,by law every religious minorty in Iran gets one seat.the Moses motamed sp? sits on the energy committee.
The most popular show on Iranian TV right now is a miniseries based on fact about an Iranian diplomat based in Paris who helped more than a thousand Jews escape the holocaust by supplying them with forged Iranian passports.
If you don’t know what you’re talking about maybe you should stf up.
blah (e49cc4) — 9/23/2007 @ 3:29 amBlah
Not sure what your point is however there are females and homosexuals in Iran but this hasn’t stopped the regime from stoning the female or hanging the gay.
That said, basically was you are saying is that Tehran saved Jews from a holocaust that Ahmadinehjad said didn’t exist but it’s the Zionists and their neo-con brethren which must be exterminated in order for peace to be achieved.
syn (7faf4d) — 9/23/2007 @ 5:06 amshorter blah: Iran loves its Jews, as long as they know their place.
pst314 (20d3ed) — 9/23/2007 @ 6:59 am[…] Comment on Columbia University Invites Iran’s Ahmadinejad; Hitler …Not sure what your point is however there are females and homosexuals in Iran but this hasn’t stopped the regime from stoning the female or hanging the gay. That said, basically was you are saying is that Tehran saved Jews from a … […]
Iran » Blog Archive » War with Iran, Ready or not here we come (b36b01) — 9/23/2007 @ 7:25 am“Are there not going to be any leftlings stepping up to the mike to grill him about the oppression of women, or the Holocaust denial, or the state-sanctioned murder of gays in his country? If liberals are going to be true to their principles they’ll have to bring up these issues, right?”
One thing for sure; if, as some suggest, he is prevented from appearing, the questions won’t be asked.
Semanticleo (4741c2) — 9/23/2007 @ 8:05 amQuestions for Ahmadinejad…
OK folks! Since Columbia University has invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a little speech on their campus tomorrow (on 9/24), and are forbidding non-students to step foot on their campus during said speech…not to mention that thei…
Macker's World (264d3d) — 9/23/2007 @ 8:22 amHere’s a bold move, Invite Larry Summers (former Clinton official).
The Q/A will go like this:
Why do you oppress women and gays?
Those are zionist lies told by your evil leaders Darth Cheney and his puppet, the idiot Bush.
Good enough for us!
Techie (c003f1) — 9/23/2007 @ 10:10 am[…] Rick Moran at the Right Wing Nut House writes “The Devil Went Down to Columbia” Patterico says that maybe using Hitler as an example isn’t the best way to convince Americans that […]
This ain’t Hell, but you can see it from here » Columbia U; Ahmadinejad’s just an idea guy (3c34c1) — 9/23/2007 @ 10:35 amHitlerino would be right nickname, not Hitler.
Rumbler (e65715) — 9/23/2007 @ 10:38 amHitlerino would be the right nickname, not Hitler.
Rumbler (e65715) — 9/23/2007 @ 10:40 amAnd the Q/A is for Almajahadingdong. Summers is another matter.
Techie (c003f1) — 9/23/2007 @ 10:41 amMinuteman Jim Gilchrist supports Columbia’s decision to let Ahmadinejad speak. However, Gilchrist wishes Columbia would let him speak, too. His border security speech last year was disrupted by protesters and canceled. Gilchrist was invited to appear at Columbia on October 4 but that appearance has also been canceled.
Gilchrist has a better understanding of the First Amendment than the Columbia administrators.
DRJ (ec59b5) — 9/23/2007 @ 2:33 pmFox News Reporter: “Well, what about Hitler, Mr. Columbia Dean? Would you let Hitler speak on your campus?”
Columbia Dean: “If he were willing to engage in a debate and a discussion to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly invite him.”
Line item veto for the win.
Leviticus (81f351) — 9/23/2007 @ 7:44 pmWouldn’t it be nice to think that the readers of this site were as concerned about the rights of women and homosexuals in Egypt or Saudi Arabia or pakistan as they are about Iran where 60 percent of the students in higher education are female. !where are the womens rights organizations in Saudi?
Where are the jews in Saudi?
In Iran they have both.
Next up Pat defends gay marriage.
blah (b5c07a) — 9/23/2007 @ 8:00 pm.
blah – Patterico is in favor of same sex marriage, provided it is implemented according to law, and not judicial fiat. Try again.
I guess stoning gays is better than being against same sex marriage, huh?
JD (c3bb88) — 9/23/2007 @ 8:03 pmSo full faith and credits not an issue?
And read up on the fight for civil rights in the middle east will you? Ask the women of maydaan what they think of george bushes defense of freedom. Ask Helena Cobban.
Again you don’t want to learn anything. .
blah (7fdbf2) — 9/23/2007 @ 11:45 pm