ahmadjinijad vs bully-nger: a lesson in the making of false heroes

Columbia University President Bollinger invited Ahamdinijad to speak at Columbia. The man complied, and was met with a fierce attack on him as Bollinger introduced him. Naturally Bollinger had been under attack for the invitation in the first place and he, of course, had to prove to his critics that he disapproved of the Iranian president. In his introduction, he turned to Ahmadinijad and called him names: “a petty and cruel dictator”, to the applause of an already incited audience. MSNBC reported ‘huge student protests’ at Columbia, which really was a handful of students holding Israeli flags and telling him to ‘go to hell’.

Nice. Everyone is hiding behind Bush’s skirts and throwing darts at Ahmadinijad. It was pathetic. The attempt by Bollinger to harrass the President of another sovereign nation on campus and in his own ‘home’ is pathetic to say the least. Bollinger is no hero. If he was this ‘courageous’ person who speaks his mind, how about inviting the Saudi King and bashing him the same way calling him a ‘petty and cruel dictator’? or how about calling them on their treatment of women and gays and on religious tolerance etc etc…. all of which Iran by far excels in. Iran is more tolerant of religious differences – there are churches and Christians in Iran, there are women in parliament and other high offices etc… None of that exists in Saudi Arabia – to name but one example of a ‘friendly’ country.

Ahmadinijad made much more sense than Bollinger or his critics – except when it came to the issue of women and homosexuals [for which his responses were pathetic to say the least!]. But he made sense when he said that in Iran they treat guests with respect – not to mention Presidents of another country!! He made sense when he was asked what he ‘expected by speaking at Columbia’ and the man simply said I was invited and I accepted the invitation. It is, of course, a damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation – where if he accepts he is mistreated and insulted and if he declines he will be considered afraid of facing his critics.

And by the way, if he is ‘insulted’ by the audience in their questioning or by the banners raised by protesters, I fully condone that – it is a question of freedom of speech indeed. But to be insulted by your own host in the most despicable terms as he is introducing you, is unacceptable and cowardly.

Ahmadinijad made sense when asked about the American hostages situation more than two decades ago. He responded that this was in the past and said ‘let us not bring the past back’ and went on to explain that if we do so, then perhaps we need to also show what America did and was doing prior to that time to Iran. He made sense when asked what he wanted to do at the site of 9/11 that he had asked to visit and his request was declined. Ahmadinijad said simple he wanted to pay his respects. No, to an American-mindset, this is insulting – you don’t pay your respects if you are a designated ‘enemy’ by the administration, even though you had nothing to do with 9/11 whatsoever.

Bollinger accused Ahmadinijad of having a ‘fanatical mindset’ and asked why he would want to ‘wipe a country off the map’ [naturally referring to the alleged quote by Ahmadinijad] and then went on to ask ‘do you want to wipe us off the map too?’ What a typical childish and pathetic attempt at once again co-relating the issue of Israel/Palestine with America, pitting America with Israel on one side, and everyone else on the other. Israel and America: no, it is not the same cause; no it is not the same threat; no, it is not the same fears; and no, it is not the same enemies. Increasingly though, with people like the Bush administration and the ‘fanatical minded’ ones like Bollinger, it is becoming one and the same – and this is not in America’s best interest.

Ahmadinijad is no hero. But neither is Bollinger. This is a lesson in the making of false heroes: the former by being needlessly attacked in a venue of ‘free speech’ while denying him ‘freedom of movement’ [he is not allowed to wander off beyond 25 miles from the UN]; and then slamming him in the media as though he is a devil; the latter by attacking someone on your own turf – and instead of being called a coward is now hailed as a ‘hero’.
It is up to the rest of us to figure out the true heroes. They seem to be becoming the rarest of all human breeds.