Jenny-fa

Behold! The enemy is among us! —————>

OK, OK, I was just kidding. That really is a far cry from my real attitude regarding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to the U.S. today. For those of you who didn’t read my last protected post (and I really must congratulate you if you managed to crack my top-secret password), I mentioned yesterday that Ahmadinejad was invited to come speak at a forum at Columbia University. TODAY. Yes, today. Here in the U.S.! In New York! Today! So close, yet so far…

Yet, predictably, Ahmadinejad’s visit has already been marred by a round of protests from students and politicians alike. Some, like me, are perfectly willing to allow him to make his views heard. Others have already condemned this event as a “perversion of free speech” and some brilliant politician out there contributed this equally brilliant quote, stating that “There is no excuse to have this madman, this little Hitler who is running around all over the world killing our soldiers. This is immoral. This is outrageous. This is sick.”

Ahmadinejad also seemed to have ignited outrage when he asked permission today to lay a wreath at the September 11 terrorist attacks site at Ground Zero. Of course, people immediately decried his presence there as a “violation of sacred ground,” but officially he was denied by city officials who cited construction concerns.

But really. Why shouldn’t he be allowed to pay his respects? For Pete’s sake, he isn’t a demon. He’s a person. I even remember reading somewhere that students in Tehran held a candlelight vigil for the Americans killed at the World Trade Center back in 2001. Assuming that Ahmadinejad shares the same sentiments as his own people, it seems that the majority of Iranians don’t wish us death. So why shouldn’t Ahmadinejad be allowed to go? Refusing and insulting a foreign dignitary on the mere basis of his supposed association with terrorism is both childish and undemocratic. If you don’t know, this country’s perhaps greatest achievement is the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. It’s an amazing thing when a university can invite a controversial world leader to speak directly to the American people and not have his words censored or his visit banned by the government. This is what I truly believe about the country of my birth… and it truly sucks when a bunch of immature and intolerant idiots ruin this basic and unique right for the rest of us.

Sorry. Before you write me off as an aspiring Islamic fundamentalist, I think I also should emphasize my disapproval of non-secular governments and theocracies (I’m an atheist), my disagreement with Ahmadinejad’s assertions that Israel should be “wiped off the map,” and my unconditional distaste for people who are convinced that God is on their side… although one could accuse Bush of the same thing, if you think about it.

And anyway. Ahmadinejad isn’t bad-looking. My friend S-chan even said that he “looks like a really nice person.” And that jacket—! Just plain stylin’.

More links to related articles (in case you can’t get enough):

• Iranian president marks US visit surrounded by controversy — Yahoo! News
• Ahmadinejad questions 9/11, Holocaust — Yahoo! News
• Tough US welcome for Iran’s Ahmadinejad — Yahoo! News
• Amid Protests, President of Iran Speaks at Columbia — New York Times
• Ahmadinejad: No Gays, No Oppression of Women in Iran — ABC News
• Nuclear bomb no use to us, says Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — Herald Sun

And, if you can believe it, I also found the link to Ahmadinejad’s official Web site and blog! (Those are some really well-designed Web sites, by the way. The Persian language looks so beautiful…)

• Official Web site (English): Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran News Service
• Official Web site (Persian): پايگاه اطلاع رساني رياست جمهوري اسلامي ايران
• Ahmadinejad’s blog (!!!): یادداشتهای شخصی احمدی نژاد

So, if no one else was willing to do so, I would like to welcome you to the U.S., President Ahmadinejad. And I do sincerely hope that the behavior of some of my countrymen doesn’t reflect poorly on the rest of us.