Iran's president: I don't deny Holocaust

[Flabbergasted]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/09/24/2007-09-24_irans_president_i_dont_deny_holocaust-3.html

Iran's president: I don't deny Holocaust

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DAILY NEWS STAFF

Monday, September 24th 2007, 3:16 PM


Meeting with a frosty reception at Columbia University, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted today he did not deny the Holocaust and said he wanted to visit the World Trade Center site to "show my sympathy" to 9/11 victims' families.

But even before the controversial leader began his speech, he received a harsh welcome from Columbia's President Lee Bollinger, who took him to task for Iran's record on human rights, its nuclear program, its alleged arming of Iraqi insurgents and its treatment of Iranian-American scholars.

Bollinger also challenged Ahmadinejad to explain why he did not believe documented evidence about the Holocaust and why he has vowed to "wipe Israel off the map."

"You exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger declared.

"Frankly, and in all candor, Mr. President, I doubt that you will have the intellectual courage to answer these questions," Bollinger said, as protesters demonstrated outside the hall.

But Ahmadinejad received a rousing round of applause when he took the stage after Bollinger's introduction and chided Columbia officials for their "unfriendly treatment."

"In a university environment we must allow people to make up their own mind," Ahmadinejad said, speaking in Farsi while a translator relayed his comments. The audience clapped loudly.

Ahmadinejad said he was taken aback that Columbia's president would attack his speech before he had even delivered it.

"In many parts of his speech there were many insults and claims that were incorrect," Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad, who plans to address the UN General Assembly tomorrow, said he did not deny the Holocaust occurred, but didn't see what was wrong with asking questions about it.

"I'm not saying that it didn't happen at all," he said. " can you argue that researching a phenomenon is finished forever, done? Can we close the books foreever on a historical event?"

He sidestepped audience questions about his enmity toward Israel, saying instead, "I'm asking you, is not the Palestinian issue an issue of international prominence or not?"

Ahmadinejad said Iran's nuclear program was for energy needs, not weapons, and he said he had asked to visit the World Trade Center site "to show respect, to show sympathy" for the victims and their families.

"What's bad for someone to show sympathy to the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 tragic event?" he asked, but then turned around and said the root causes of the attacks needed to be explored.

Asked about executions in Iran, Ahmadinejad said his nation was not the only one that puts criminals to death.

"Don't you have capital punishment in the United States? You do too!" he said.

As for other human rights, Ahmadinejad insisted, "Women in Iran enjoy the highest level of freedom."

Applause punctuated parts of Ahmadinejad's speech, but loud jeers erupted when he responded to questions about the persecution of gays by claiming, "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

[Puck]

1. "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

That's true, in Iran they're all in the closet or dead.

[brainshrub]

5. In other words: Ahmadinejad is a Republican.

eom.

[Hutzpa]

2. I think its a fair

statement, they don't have Gays, its not about spinning the truth, its about stating the facts.

[Fresh_Start]

3. He asked why aren't 58 million WWII civilian dead

all recognized. Why focus only on the Jewish dead?

Why is having a Holocaust on the Palestinian people the right response to the German Holocaust?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to turn over Germany to the victims of WWII than to pick the MiddleEast which had no part in what was done by the 3rd Reich?

Shouldn't we investigate the prejudices which let the West ignore the Germans actions for so long?
Shouldn't we understand the prejudices which led the West to create Isreal outside of the Europe although virtually all of the Holocaust victims were Europeans?

[coalition_unwilling]

6. 20 million Soviets died (soldiers and civilians), compared to a

paltry 405,000 U.S. dead. We fiddled around in North Africa, while the Soviets were fighting and decisively defeating the Nazis at Stalingrad and along a 2,000-mile front.

[cali]

8. First of all people in individal nations

remember their war dead from WWII. Secondly, there is no Palestinian holocaust. There's an occupation. It's wrong. It causes hardship and suffering. It is not a holocaust. No, it wouldn't have made any sense to turn over Germany to the victims. Rightly or wrongly, the zionist movement in British occupied Palestine had been going on for over 50 years. There was an established community of Jews extant. Jerusalem was majority Jewish.

[Fresh_Start]

9. only half of the Germans victims were Jewish

They also exterminated Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, mentally handicapped, intellectuals, political dissidents, ruling class in all the countries it invaded etc. So why the focus on the Jewish victims.

Wouldn't it be better to honor all the victims of the German extermination?
Wouldn't it be better to honor all the victims of German aggression?
Wouldn't it be better to take the lesson from WWII that aggression against ANY people is wrong rather than that the aggression against the Jewish people was the worst horror imaginable.

If the world had learned that Wars of Aggression were the worst evil, rather than that the Holocaust was the worst evil...
would we be propping up a warlike Israel at the cost of a war of aggression against another innocent peoples?

[Bluerthanblue]

10. It would be excellent if we could take the lesson from WWII and

everything that led up to it, and its fall-out, that aggression against all people is wrong- and that championing/detesting any "cult"/group/race/sex/etc. breeds more violence, division, hatred and strife.

We are not doing anyone any favors when we perpetuate and enable the abuse of people because they don't 'fit' the preferred 'profile' of the powerful.- Be that Jew/Palestinan/Muslim/male/female/young/old/black/white/gay/straight/etc.....

The best rebuff to Iran's treatment of gays would be for us to live our talk. The oppression and genocide of gays in Iran is wrong- The effect that the occupation of Gaza has had on the Palestinian people is wrong- The oppression, inequality and perverted justice that exists in Jenna La, and the treatment of the citizens of New Orleans during Katrina is wrong-

I'm ashamed of us- and disappointed that we walk around pretending that our shit doesn't stink, while people are passing out from the stench that hides behind our fancy stained-glass doors.

Your post is very wise and well spoken in my opinion NYCALIZ, uncomfortably honest. Thank you for having the courage to say what you did.

peace to all

[Fresh_Start]

13. thank you

I was prepared to be blasted for an uncomfortable post.

[bemildred]

4. We care enough about Persian women and gays to bomb the shit out of them. nt

[stillcool]

7. who cares what he actually said?

this place is inundated with half-truths, blatant lies, and errant history..I'm sure his words will be twisted to accurately portray that the country he represents is an imminent threat...and therefore deserves to get bombed the shit out of. It's enough to make me get out of here for a while.

[Bluerthanblue]

11. i do-

i'd like to know the truth, even if it isn't what i'd like it to be-



peace-
blu

[fenriswolf]

12. sounds like a very good speech

except for the part about homosexuals, I know some americans who speak about homosexuals worse then him.