What's this? Our favorite baller Ahmadinejad has a blog?

[1:03 pm update]

According to the Spec:

Responding to a question about homosexuality in Iran, Ahmanidejad said, In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country,” a statement which drew laughter followed by boos.

Aries Dela Cruz, GS ’08 and communications chair of the Columbia Queer Alliance, said after the speech that the question to Ahmadinejad had been poorly phrased.

“The Western category of gay or lesbian doesn’t translate well into Farsi,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that Ahmadinejad didn’t understand the question.”

As a linguistics/anthro major, it infuriates me that such a controversial issue was further complicated due to translation problems. My coworker commented that SIPA should have done a better job of finding a more competent translator (from the UN, maybe?). However, this delves into cultural issues, which are beyond languages in isolated form.

Rumor has it that the translator for yesterday's Ahmadinejad forum incorrectly translated the Iranian President's quote as follows:

AHMADINEJAD (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country.

We don't have that in our country.

In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have it.

After speaking to a friend in the work office, I found that some of the Persian (American?) students who listened to the speech think that rather than just "We don't have that," Ahmadinejad directly stated a difference between Iranian and American culture.

This still has yet to be verified, but if it's true, it makes a very big difference. Who knows if Fox News has the intellectual capacity to make such a distinction.

Admittedly, playing on rumors and stereotypes is pretty bad. Unforgivable, even. But while David may have had the best time of his life at Pike, I distinctly remember some not so pleasant experiences during my first (and last) frat visit. Some experiences that involved, say, a floormate getting led up the stairs to a place where she didn't want to be?

No rumors or stereotypes there. I'll leave it at that.

Now that we've been told accordingly, apologies about the Pike post. You're totally right - opposition to rumor and stereotype should be carried out on all fronts. Point graciously taken.

David: Speaking of which, a Pike party last year was probably one of the best I went to fall semester my freshman year - is it happening again? Or was that AEP...

Marilla: ALLEGATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS MY ASS.

David: lol. Apparently so.

I hear helicopters overhead; Claremont is strangely peaceful.



Here is an accurate transcript of what went down yesterday.

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My inaccurate snippets of quotes are as follows:

2:28 pm. (Discussing the Holocaust, freedom, and democracy "as an academic")

"Why don't we encourage more research on a historical event (the Holocaust) that has been the cause of many heavy catastrophes in this day and age?"

2:32 pm. Yeah, you knock that podium, Mahmoud.

"One minute, one minute, one more minute." (Clapping ensues)

2:34 pm. (Discussing Iran) "We want to be independent, don't interfere with us."

"We haven't gotten anything."

"We love all nations."

(Clapping and booing)

2:35 pm. (Coatsworth asks questions posed by students and faculty)

"One by one, please."

"We love all nations; we are friends with the Jewish people. There are many Jews in Iran living peacefully with security... our proposal to the Palestinian plight is a humanitarian and democratic proposal."

2:37 pm. (Q: Does Iran seek the destruction of Israel?)

Coatsworth: "I think you can answer that question with a 'yes' or 'no'... the answer to this question is 'yes'."

2:39 pm. "My dear friends, the Iranian nation is a victim of terrorism."

"We were the first nation to reject terrorism and the first to see the need to fight terrorism."

"We need to address the root causes of terrorism and eradicate those causes."

2:42 pm. (Responding to why the Holocaust calls for more research)

"I'm an academic and you are as well. Can you argue that researching a phenomenon is forever done? Can we close the books for good on a historical event? There are different perspectives that come to life after research is done. Why should we stop research at all? You shouldn't ask me why I'm asking questions; you should ask me why I think that is questionable."

2:45 pm. "There's been more research on physics than there has on the Holocaust."

2:46 pm. "The Iranian people are free."

2:48 pm. (Coatsworth poses a question about executing homosexuals; Ahmadinejad strays towards drug trafficking and corruption of Iran)

"Doesn't your country have capital punishment too?"

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

(Booing)

"In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who told you we have it. Maybe you think that being a woman is a crime. It's not a crime to be a woman. Women are the best creatures created by God. They represent the kindness that God instills. Women are respected in Iran."

2:51 pm. (Q: What were you hoping to achieve by speaking here today and what would you have said if you were at the Sept. 11 site?)

"I was invited here... In Iran, when you invite a guest, you respect them."

"Last year, I wanted to go to the site of the Sept. 11 tragedy... to show my respect, to show my tragedy."

"I wanted to speak with the President... (Sept. 11) It led to a lot of other events. If the root causes of Sept. 11 are examined properly... Why did it happen? What caused it? What were the conditions that led to it? Who truly was involved? Who was really involved? Let's put it all together... to fix the crisis in Afghanistan and Iraq combined."

2:55 pm. (Regarding Iran's nuclear plan)

"There is no indication that Iran has deviated from the peaceful program."

"If you have generated the fifth generation of atomic bombs and tested them already, what right do you have to question other nations' nuclear energy?"

2:57 pm. (Regarding Iran's preparation to discuss with the U.S.)

"From the start we announced that we are ready to negotiate with all countries."

"We are ready to have friendly relations and talks with all nations... the Iranian nation is a cultured nation. It is a civilized nation. It wants talks and negotiations... We don't need to plant bombs or guns... we question the way the world is being run and managed today... we have solutions based on humane values... with the U.S. gov't too, we will negotiate."

(Cheers echo and spread to Claremont; helicopters whir overhead)

3:02 pm.

"Will you allow me to thank the audience a moment?"

(Ahmadinejad invites Columbia's students and faculty to Iranian universities; clapping ensues)

"In the end, I'd like to thank Columbia University. I have heard that many politicians in the U.S. are trained in Columbia University... I extend my deepest gratitude to the faculty members and students here."

"To establish peace and a future filled with friendship and brotherhood. Best of luck to all of you."

(Coatsworth reiterates Columbia's deep commitment to "expression and debate")

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I'll respond to this after a shower and a meal.

Perhaps I spoke too soon about our near-total apathy regarding tomorrow's events. But any changes in our position could only be based upon subjective observation - so would we yet have an ideological stance concerning the attitudes being played and vitriol being spewed around us? Not really.

Still, while speaking about the stress of this whole deal with another member and friend on the Political Committee, she brought up something interesting: the politics surrounding the coming of the Iranian president are all based on various feelings about terrorism, Zionism, the Middle East, war-mongering, etc. Feelings that perhaps people become more attached to than is healthy or necessary. For us, this is a bit of a problem.

In the past few days, student of color groups have been struggling to meet the unspoken demands for relevancy in the events of the 24th. Thus, it's hard not to say with some cynicism that these debates occurring right now would never have happened if student of color groups brought up the events of mode. If you think our apathy is something awful, let us tell you how we see things every day other than when an Iranian president arrives at Columbia.

Hence, what we see happening is that these groups marginalized by this debate are bringing their issues into context of the only debate some people are willing to listen to: LUCHA brings up distinctions to the Minutemen protests last year. CQA cautions against media usage of certain terms as political identity. As possibly the most relevant voice in this debate, the MSA expresses concern about the fair representation of Islam in this debate around Ahmadinejad. All of these points are exceedingly relevant, but none are being actively listened to. We're all waiting for cues from other, more "mainstream" groups.

This is the case as well for the Asian American Alliance. We do not let this inundation of political opinion drown our voices surrounding other issues that we care about - issues that don't ordinarily receive the light of day. In our statement, we make a point of highlighting the disconnect between the administration and the students. This is a problem that manifests itself in countless ways other than through the invitation of Ahmadinejad.

In any case, all of this is a bit dense if you don't understand the politics of student groups. But the heart of the issue is more than this - we hope that issues of race, power, and identity can receive equal airtime when this campus is not hijacked by news media. Some things deserve to be discussed as much as, if not more than, the arrival of Ahmadinejad.

You can hear it in the air... it's the calm before the storm. President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes to campus this Monday.

And the beauty of this? As a club (maybe not as individuals), the Asian American Alliance just doesn't care. The political tsunami descending in two days upon this campus, in this particular instance, means little for us. We see the controversy surrounding the presence of Ahmadinejad an issue based in international politics, with few ramifications for Asian Americans.

We do invite Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans - also Asian Americans - to voice their thoughts about how this event impacts them.

It might be ironic that the brunt of our work is typically battling what we see as apathy and ignorance on campus. While trying to break the stereotypes of the politically apathetic Asian American student, we try to encourage participation and engagement from our peers in the issues unraveling around us.

But at what point do our politics meet that of our peers? If all communities (especially communities of color) have unique issues important to them, is this one out of our reach? Or are we indeed expected to make this issue relevant to us?

Last October when the Minutemen protests turned into a political incident, AAA had a pretty obvious stance. Our natural concern with issues of immigration necessitated a stance against the presence of Jim Gilchrist. Our ties to the students in protest reinforced our position. This weekend, we cannot say the same for Ahmadinejad's arrival on campus.

This does not mean that we'll have nothing to say. (Seeing a Middle Eastern woman rip down flyers near Low Library yesterday made a powerful impression on us.) What we will say, however, will probably concern more the reactions of our own peers than the objections to the presence of this Iranian president.

So keep posted. If your reaction to Ahmadinejad is indeed closely meshed with your identity or your views as an Asian American, feel free to share in the comments. We'll also do our part to make pertinent observations about this campus in the few days ahead of us.

Apathy is never a great thing, but sometimes it's the only thing that makes sense.

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Below is our statement about Mahmoud's coming:

On Thursday, September 20th, a representative from the Asian American Alliance participated in a discussion with members of the administration (including President Bollinger) over Ahmadinejad's arrival at Columbia on Monday. The discussion examined the impact that his presence would have on the student body and on many student groups that AAA has worked with in the past.

As a result, AAA sees the need to inform students who care about this issue of what their options are:

If you would like more information on this event, to be informed on what's been going on, or to view this event via webcast, please e-mail the AAA chair at: aaachair@gmail.com.

If you wish to submit questions to Mr. Ahmadinejad in advance of the forum on Monday, please e-mail: worldleaders@columbia.edu. A few of these questions will be randomly selected and asked among questions from audience members during the forum.

If you feel more strongly about this issue and are planning to personally attend this event on Monday (whether it be inside during Ahmadinejad's speech or outside at the rally) and would like to be fully informed of your options as supporters or as protestors, you can also email the AAA chair at: aaachair@gmail.com

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WHY ARE WE TELLING YOU THIS?

AAA recognizes that there historically exists a great disconnect between the Columbia administration and students. We observe the administration's not hearing students' demands when large campus events are programmed. The ways in which this problem manifests itself are evident in many groups' current struggles: the Manhattanville expansion, ethnic studies, racial profiling, and financial aid -- AAA recognizes that these issues affect the students of the general body.

Since it is important that the students' voices are not lost or ignored when greater matters are involved, the aforementioned disconnect was brought up prominently in Thursday's discussion with President Bollinger. The administration's is improving its ability to listen to the student body, which is a step towards bettering relations by opening up lines of communication between you, us, and the administration during this momentous event.