When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived to speak at Columbia University this Monday, he was met with taunts from the press and thousands of protestors. The University had already faced a division amongst students and faculty as to whether the school should have invited Ahmadinejad as a speaker at its World Leaders Forum.
The event’s most incendiary comments, however, did not come from Ahmadinejad; rather, they came from the University’s president, Lee Bollinger. In his opening speech, Bollinger called Ahmadinejad a “petty and cruel dictator” with a “fanatical mindset” as the Iranian leader sat back and smiled.
The problem with Bollinger’s address, regardless of whether one agrees with his condemnation of Ahmadinejad, was the accusatory and blatantly rude words Bollinger used.
The University had every right to invite Ahmadinejad to speak, and a critical discussion about his controversial views could have shed light on them and his government’s numerous human rights violations. Including a verbal attack in a welcome speech not only lacked proper decorum, but also eliminated any possible discussion that could have arisen.
It’s reasonable for Bollinger to hold views that may acutely contrast with those held by his guest, but the protests outside were a more suitable forum for voicing that opinion. Extending Ahmadinejad an invitation to speak meant Bollinger and the organizers at Columbia weren’t just facilitators of his appearance, but hosts as well, which they seem to have forgotten.
Perhaps the event would have created less controversy had it been an open dialogue between the president and representatives from the student body. Although his appearance was sensationalized on its own, Bollinger’s comments caused an even bigger stir than necessary.
It may be the case that Ahmadinejad’s perspectives held no value for the majority of his listeners, whether it’s his historically inaccurate denial of the Holocaust or his oppression of women in Iran.
Regardless, it isn’t acceptable to ask someone to make a speech only to lead up to it by raking them over the coals.
There’s a huge rift in worldviews between Western ideologies and those promoted by leaders such as Ahmadinejad, but that rift won’t be reconciled unless open discussions are welcomed on both sides. Unfortunately, this event was anything but.
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