The western press keeps highlighting the fact that the president of Columbia University said that Ahmadinejad acted like a “petty and cruel dictator.” Sen. Joe Lieberman said he shouldn’t have even been allowed into the US as he has “blood on his hands.” It’s strange to hear that from these people as they don’t really mind blood on hands of the likes of Olmert as they line up to kiss his hands when he comes to the US, the same Olmert who ordered the destruction of Lebanon in 2006. Fox News keeps making fun of Ahmadinejad’s name, appearance (facial features), and his attire, which speaks volumes about their racist network.
Anyway, people at the university lecture told me that Ahmadinejad was justified when he said that when you invite a guest into your house or country, you treat them with respect, like Iranians do in Iran, and like many Americans do here, implying that to invite him and then to insult him was not befitting and not representative of America.
In any case, I’m sort of baffled as to why Iranian presidents like to talk philosophy and history any time they get a chance to speak in a western forum. I remember when Khatami was interviewed by CNN, he wouldn’t stop talking about the said topics. What are they trying to prove? It’s like they’re saying: “please, I’m civilized, look, I know a thing or two about the world, now, please accept me.” Relax.
I’m also baffled as to how Ahmadinejad can respond to questions about the execution of “homosexuals” in Iran by saying that they don’t exist in Iran. WTF? They don’t exist? Really?
I do think, however, he’s on point when he talks about Palestinian suffering but I think that no matter how much he hammers away at it, it just won’t stick in a country heavily influenced by a Zionist bias. He was also pretty right on when he talked about American support for Saddam in the Iran-Iraq War.
At the end of the day, of the many slogans printed on the placards, one resonated with me: “We refuse to choose between Islamic fundamentalism and American Imperialism.”
Amen. (Here are the videos of the Q & A, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)
I’ll take American Imperialism over Islamic fundamentalism any day. 3,000 of rich Persian history and culture have culminated with this monkey?
Ahmadinejad is an embarrassment to the Iranian people everywhere. His filthy appearance, stupid comments (“there are no gays in Iran”), and sheer lack of human decency are a disgrace to Iranian culture.
When will Iran become a secular democracy? I yearn for that day.
for Pouya, he is a hero! Pouya: Ahmadinejad claim that Holocaust was invented to take over Palestine, so I guess you agree with him. You are shameless!
3000 of Iran’s culture and this monkey piss it all away. It’s shamefull, his atire was shameful, his looks were shameful.
Wow, you know its Arash when you can barely discern what hes saying. Hey Arash, can you provide me proof or evidence that Columbia was getting “oil money” from Iran and thats why Ahmadinejad was able to speak there? Or is this going to be ANOTHER case of you blatantly lying?
I also think its funny how racist ZIonists like Arash keep invoking this superior Iranian culture. 3000 years? Does that include the scum Qajar dynasty, and the savage Safavids? What about the corrupt and despicable Iranian priest class when Iran was still Zoroastrian?
I know, I know, Arash wants to keep talking about how he’s “Persian” and how “Persians” should hate Arabs just like “the Jews”. Its amazing how inherently divisive and racist ZIonism is.
Arash, well be waiting for the proof that Columbia has gotten all this Iranian oil money, thanks.
Pouya, great commentary. Word up on “We refuse to choose between Islamic fundamentalism and American Imperialism.â€
However, I disagree, with your interpretation of the Iranian presidents’ discussion of history and philosophy as some sort of quest for approval (a la “I am civilized, please accept me”); while there definitely is a cultural status anxiety amongst Iranians (esp. in the diaspora) and a large historical precedent (i.e., our Francophilia), I interpret this as a sign of the sophistication of our public discourse. Its amazing to have politicians who use history and philosophy as a foundation from which to wage a critique.
…Nor do I think its isolated to just the Iranian presidents, but rather exemplary of the ongoing dialogue that many Iranian intellectuals have been having with the west. Direct Diplomacy has been very heated and has yielded little benefit for the involved parties. And unfortunately, as of late, second-tier diplomacy (i.e., intellectuals visiting each others’ countries as cultural ambassadors) has also been going down) [think Ganji over here, Jahanbegloo meeting with the likes of Rorty and Habermas, etc.]. The alternative has been to engage with seminal figures in modern western philosophy. For instance (as an example of second-tier diplomacy and cultural dialogue with key western intellectuals) two professors of divinity at Harvard went to Iran on a de facto diplomatic mission and surprisingly encountered many people wishing to engage in cross-cultural dialogue. In one such example, an Iranian academic in Tehran was speaking with the Professor on Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (Article here: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/bulletin_mag/articles/34-3_thiemann.html)
Furthermore, I think both Ahmadinejad and Bush share a crucial (and tragic) similarity: their firey rhetoric is aimed at their native populations rather than speaking to a more global and cosmopolitan audience. In a globalized world, everyone listens to the same speech. Thus, while denying the holocaust may be acceptable in political discourse in Iran (and seems to be effective), it clearly isn’t in the United States and Europe. This incendiary remark, I believe, is a detriment to those who wish to critique the policies of Israel. He looses major ethos points and serves to discredit those criticizing Israel and reinforces the meme of criticizing Israel being equivalent to anti-semetism. Therefore, I cannot soley put the blame on the media bias towards Israel, but also on how he, himself, argues.
This post gave me inspiration to blog on it. It might be a little too long, but I think its def appropos:
http://thoughtandtheory.blogspot.com
Despite his demonization by the White House, US media and his Columbia University host, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s skillful and manipulative Big Apple blitz has wowed the audience that really matters: the global Muslim “street”. For those who listened, unlike the many who simply branded the man as too evil to speak, Ahmadinejad coolly turned American disinformation on its head, to his own advantage.
Arash the supposed anonymous poster (comment #2), may I remind you that until you apologize to me and the blog’s viewers for your excessive use of uncivilized profanity, you are banned from commenting here.
Pouya, I agree with some of your thoughts, however, I think what Ahmadinejad is trying to accomplish by speaking in a scholarly fashion about academia is to relate to the audience because of the forum in which he is in. If invited to a more political realm, the tone and message would change, I dont think he is necessarily defending the culture and educational level of Iran or himself.)
Further, I do agree with Ahmadinejad as to the President of Columbia’s actions. No host should be so rude as to invite a guest and then tell the audience what they should and should not think. (his “vaccination” quote was right on point I felt.)
As for these attacks on his demeanor and physical appearance, he seems no different than the president of this country. The same conniving smirk when a difficult question is presented appears on both presidents. Does his beard and suit make him less of a person? How shallow of these respondents to point out his dress as opposed to the substance of his argument.
(I am not going to even touch the ridiculous homosexual topic, which completely discredited him and left a clip to be repeated on American television.)
Substantively, the speech and responses to the questions reminded me of the politics in our country, dodging and explaining with rhetorical spin as to avoid the real reasoning of the issues and past comments he is quoted to have made. These past quotes on the holocaust, destruction of isreal that the student questions were based on…were they based on bad translation? Misunderstanding? Propaganda by the media? I feel the answer is ultimately no.
On Israel, Ahmadinejad said, “We do not recognize a regime based on discrimination, occupation and expansionism,” and he said that country “last week attacked Syria and last year attacked Lebanon”; pretty much what most of the Middle East agrees with. He may have granted that the Holocaust did take place, but the world needs “more research on it”. The Holocaust is not his main point: it always serves as an intro to one of his key themes – why should the Palestinians pay the price for something that happened in Europe? He said he wanted a “clear” answer. No one designed to provide it.
I think the Herald Tribune covered the event relatively fairly, see the article here: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/25/africa/ahmedinejad.php?page=1
Awwwwwww, Pouya, please let the fat one talk. No doubt he wil be finally presenting evidence for all his fabrications. I mean, really, how could we not believe that the Iran is donating millions of dollars of “oil money” to get Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia, besides the whole non existent evidence thing?
1- There are no gays in Iran ?!!!!
Apparently Ahmadinejad has never been to Ghazvin.
2- The 12th Imam will reappear ?!!!
This guy calls himself an educated academic? Has he tried biology 101? What the f**k is he talking about? Do they study witchcraft, miracles and Harry Potter at the Civil Engineering Phd programs in “Iranian Universities”?
This powerless puppet of the puppeteer Khamanei is a real embarrassment to a nation that supposedly elected him as “President”. Surely he could have stayed the course, rightfully criticizing Western Foreign Policy in a rational manner, rather than resorting to voodoo and questionable imaginary notions such as God, religion and the 12th Imam.
As a staunch atheist (infidel?) who can prove that the entire concepts of God/Allah and all religions are nothing but a bunch of hogwash and Disneyland illusions, I am ashamed to see this idiot representing Iran in the UN.
“Surely he could have stayed the course, rightfully criticizing Western Foreign Policy in a rational manner, rather than resorting to voodoo and questionable imaginary notions such as God, religion and the 12th Imam.”
Ugh, I cringe when the man begins his speech with “In the name of god blah blah blah”. He should get together and wait with the psycho Christian evangelists for the Mehdi while they wait for the Messiah.
May we see the liberation of Palestine and Iran in our lifetimes. Palestine, im more hopeful for, ironically.
I wrote this to the extremely overweight and unnatractive Arash:
Nazis also fiercely defended their comrades when they were advancing to acheive their goal of, as the Israeli commander himself said, “Conquer territory”. When attacking villages of conquered territroy, Im sure the Nazis also said “Their day has come” like the Israeli commandos said about a Shiite village they were invading.
Since you left Berkeley, given your extensive lying and fabrications, has your nose gotten any bigger?
(Hard to believe, you alrady had a huge ugly nose then. Maybe its only your gut, face, neck, and breasts that have gotten so much bigger)
🙂
I’M BACK !!!
A-Bomb-i-Nejad got his ass handed to him by Lee Bollinger and the rest of New York. I love that city. “The Evil Has Landed” on the cover of one of the dailies – that was awesome.
Long live the nation of Iran – a Persian, secular, Israel-admiring nation that is (temporarily) enslaved by the corrupt, degenerate mullahs. The clock is ticking on this useless regime, a regime that sold the country to the Arabs and tried to hide its glorious Zoroastrian Persian past.
In the end, Iranian nationalism will defeat the ideology of Khomeini, Khamenei, Ahmadinejad, and all the rest of the apes that tried to change the fate of Iran. They are all failures. The only true winner is Iranian nationalism. If and when Iran has a secular nationalist government, it should have all the nuclear technology it wants. But for now, let’s get rid of these Islamists.
So, lets go through and see the factually false writing of another ZIonist moron.
“Long live the nation of Iran – a Persian, ”
Persian? Only about 60% of Iran is considered Persian. Your complete dismissal of 28 million people is noted, howver, although Iran probably isnt going to get around to ethnically cleansing this chunk of its population like Israel did anytime soon.
“secular”
Secualr? Whose secular? What does it mean for a country to be secular? You mean you WANT the government t be secular, or are you saying secular reflects the attitudes of most Iranians? If so, then show the public opinion polling so we know what the majority of Iranians think. Dont just talk out of your ass.
“Israel-admiring ”
And evidence that the majority of Iranians admire Israel? Show me the public opinion polls for that. Oh wait, let me guess. YOu just know, you dont need evidence
“a regime that sold the country to the Arabs”
Oh yes, so much so. Indeed, they sold it to the Arabs to the point where NEARLY EVERY SINGLE ARAB (BESIDES SYRIA AND AT SOME POINT LIBYA, I THINK) REGIME supported Saddams invasion of the country. Not to mention that Yasser Arafat’s PLO provided training for groups fighting the Islamic Republic like the MEK. And Irans treatment of its Arab population: ” In April 2005, protests erupted in the southern province of Khuzistan, home to nearly two million Iranians of Arab descent, following publication of a letter allegedly written by Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an advisor to then-President Mohammad Khatami, which referred to government plans to implement policies that would reduce the proportion of ethnic Arabs in Khuzistan’s population. After security forces opened fire to disperse demonstrators in Ahvaz, the confrontation turned violent and spread to other cities and towns in Khuzistan.” http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/iran12214_txt.htm
Yes, this is definitely an Arab loving regime, whatever that means.
” its glorious Zoroastrian Persian past”
The first empire in Iran was Median, not Persian. Kourosh united the Medes and the Persians. All kinds of Iranian tribes settled the plateua originally, only one of which was the Persians.
Its so funny to see racism in Zionists like JZ. Just look at their obsession with ethnicity. They are obsessed with ethnic purity. With regard to JZ’s post, so many factual mistakes in just a few sentences. Shocking? Nope. This is ZIonism; facts or sophistication not needed. Hitlerian notions of race though? Those are always encouraged in ZIonism.
Wow, JZ, you must be full after eating that can of whip-ass!!!
WOW.
It is also ironic to note how fanatical ZIonists tend to forget the persecution of Jews and Christians during the Sassanid era. See “The Zoroastrians of Iran: conversion, assimilation, or persistence” by Janet Amighi, an excellent book which moslty focuses on Zoroastrians and their conditions (which has ranged anywhere from extreme persecution to great cultural and religious freedom leading to monumental contributions by Zoroastrians to Iranian society) during the last 100 years or so, although it also touches on the fanatical rule of the priestly class before the invasion of the Arab/Muslim armies. Again, facts are never important to ZIonists like JZ and chunky, overweight, big nosed occupation soldiers like Arash.
“In any case, I’m sort of baffled as to why Iranian presidents like to talk philosophy and history any time they get a chance to speak in a western forum.”
It has nothing to do with a “western” forum. They are merely extending what they discuss on a daily basis. Both Khatami and Ahmadinejad are professors which teach. They also have Islamic outlooks and so it is very natural to speak about such things. Just because the only time you listen to them speak is when they are in the west doesnt mean this is the case. Ignorance is the root of all accusations. So maybe you should RELAX.
As for the gay comment, he is correct. Homosexuality is simply not a phenonemon in Iran. If a few gays exist here or there this doesnt change the issue. For it is simply not normative in the culture, in the society, etc.
“As for the gay comment, he is correct. Homosexuality is simply not a phenonemon in Iran. If a few gays exist here or there this doesnt change the issue. For it is simply not normative in the culture, in the society, etc.”
Maryam, how exactly are you defining homosexuality? Are you defining it by its outward expression in society or the internal instinctual attraction to the same sex?
The always-amazing Juan Cole explains the rhetoric of “no homosexuals” pretty damn accurately:
http://www.juancole.com/2007/09/there-are-no-homosexuals-in-more-common.html
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