It’s a sad, sad day for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Lee Bollinger has withdrawn Columbia’s invitation to Ahmadinejad. By doing so he overruled a prominent dean, Lisa Anderson.
The dean of Columbia’s school of international and public affairs, Lisa Anderson, had independently invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to speak at the World Leader’s Forum, a year-long program that aims to unite “renowned intellectuals and cultural icons from many nations to examine global challenges and explore cultural perspectives.”
Do extremist Muslim leaders fall in either one of those categories?
Anyway:
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Mr. Bollinger said he canceled Mr. Ahmadinejad’s invitation because he couldn’t be certain it would “reflect the academic values that are the hallmark of a University event such as our World Leaders Forum.” He told Ms. Anderson that Mr. Ahmadinejad could speak at the school of international and public affairs, just not as a part of the university-wide leader’s forum.
[…]
Mr. Bollinger told Ms. Anderson that while he finds Mr. Ahmadinejad’s views “repugnant,” she has the “right and responsibility to invite speakers whom she believes will add to the academic experience of our students.”The invitation sparked heated debate and outrage on campus and elsewhere because Mr. Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier and the head of a state that sponsors terrorism. The brouhaha over Mr. Ahmadinejad’s invitation has also spotlighted the confusion of many regarding if and how standards should be applied when universities decide whom to welcome to their campuses.
Let me try to answer that: common sense.
Wow, that surely was easy!
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