# Why is Ahmidinejad doing so many interviews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 24, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326 "2007-09-24T16:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/41 "2007-09-25T20:04:32Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] Saddam Hussein had good reason to believe we would not intervene in his solution to “the Kuwaiti problem.” It was a diplomatic mistake on our part, although it was understandable since our A and B-teams were more concerned about the breakup of the Soviet Union. [/QUOTE] Actually, I have my doubts as to whether it was a “mistake” at all, in the sense of producing an unintended result. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/42 "2007-09-25T20:11:16Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Ahmadinejad does not have that kind of power. No one person in the Iranian government does, actually, not since Khomeini passed on. Bollinger really showed his ignorance (or dishonesty) in calling Ahmadinejad a “dictator.” [/QUOTE] I was making a ‘joke’ BG. Sorry for the confusion there. For anyone interested in the full text of the question and answer from yesterday I found it [here](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297930,00.html) (As 'luci likes to do I’ll give a Foxnews alert warning…loony lefties are advised to put their shields up!). > [@](#): > > Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke on Monday at Columbia University. The text of his speech follows, as interpreted by a translator. > > AHMADINEJAD: In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful… > > TRANSLATOR: The president is reciting verses from the holy Koran in Arabic. > > AHMADINEJAD: Oh, God, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those to attest to his rightfulness. > > Distinguished dean, dear professors and students, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset I would like to extend my greetings to all of you. I am grateful to the almighty God for providing me with the opportunity to be in an academic environment, those seeking truth and striving for the promotion of science and knowledge. > > At the outset I want to complain a bit from the person who read this political statement against me. In Iran, tradition requires that when we demand a person to invite to be a speaker we actually respect our students and the professors by allowing them to make their own judgment and we don’t think it’s necessary before this speech is even given to come in with a series of claims… > > (APPLAUSE) > > … and to attempt in a so-called manner to provide vaccination of some sort to our students and our faculty. > > I think the text read by the dear gentleman here, more than addressing me, was an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here, present here. In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all. > > Certainly he took more than all the time I was allocated to speak, and that’s fine with me. We’ll just leave that to add up with the claims of respect for freedom and the freedom of speech that’s given to us in this country. > > Many parts of his speech, there were many insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully. > > AHMADINEJAD: Of course, I think that he was affected by the press, the media, and the political, sort of, mainstream line that you read here that goes against the very grain of the need for peace and stability in the world around us. > > Nonetheless, I should not begin by being affected by this unfriendly treatment. I will tell you what I have to say, and then the questions he can raise and I’ll be happy to provide answers. But as for one of the issues that he did raise, I most certainly would need to elaborate further so that we, for ourselves, can see how things fundamentally work. > > It was my decision in this valuable forum and meeting to speak with you about the importance of knowledge, of information, of education. Academics and religious scholars are shining torches who shed light in order to remove darkness. And the ambiguities around us in guiding humanity out of ignorance and perplexity. > > The key to the understanding of the realities around us rests in the hands of the researchers, those who seek to discover areas that are hidden, the unknown sciences, the windows of realities that they can open is done only through efforts of the scholars and the learned people in this world. > > AHMADINEJAD: With every effort there is a window that is opened, and one reality is discovered. Whenever the high stature of science and wisdom is preserved and the dignity of scholars and researchers are respected, humans have taken great strides toward their material and spiritual promotion. > > In contrast, whenever learned people and knowledge have been neglected, humans have become stranded in the darkness of ignorance and negligence. > > If it were not for human instinct, which tends toward continual discovery of truth, humans would have always remained stranded in ignorance and no way would not have discovered how to improve the life that we are given. > > The nature of man is, in fact, a gift granted by the Almighty to all. The Almighty led mankind into this world and granted him wisdom and knowledge as his prime gift enabling him to know his God. > > In the story of Adam, a conversation occurs between the Almighty and his angels. The angels call human beings an ambitious and merciless creature and protested against his creation. > > But the Almighty responded, “I have knowledge of what you are ignorant of.” Then the Almighty told Adam the truth. And on the order of the Almighty, Adam revealed it to the angels. > > The angels could not understand the truth as revealed by the human being. > > … \… > > AHMADINEJAD: They tell us you don’t let them — they won’t let them inspect. Why not? Of course we do. How come is it, anyway, that you have that right and we can’t have it? We want to have the right to peaceful nuclear energy. They tell us, don’t make it yourself, we’ll give it to you. > > Well, in the past, I tell you, we had contracts with the U.S. government, with the British government, the French government, the German government, and the Canadian government on nuclear development for peaceful purposes. But unilaterally, each and every one of them canceled their contracts with us, as a result of which the Iranian people had to pay a heavy cost in billions of dollars. > > Why do we need the fuel from you? You’ve not even given us spare aircraft parts that we need for civilian aircraft for 28 years under the name of embargo and sanctions because we’re against, for example, human rights or freedom? Under that pretext, you are deny us that technology? We want to have the right to self-determination toward our future. We want to be independent. Don’t interfere in us. > > If you don’t give us spare parts for civilian aircraft, what is the expectation that you’d give us fuel for nuclear development for peaceful purposes? > > For 30 years, we’ve faced these problems for over $5 billion to the Germans and then to the Russians, but we haven’t gotten anything. And the words have not been completed. > > It is our right. We want our right. And we don’t want anything beyond the law, nothing less than international law. > > We are a peaceful, loving nation. We love all nations. This is just part of the preliminary speech before the questions and answer part (which is also in the link I provided for anyone interested). -XT ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/43 "2007-09-26T16:06:31Z")
I have another entertaining quote from the _San Diego Union-Tribune_ today, during a Q&A session President Ahmadinejad held (at the UN?): > [@SDU-T](#): > > An Iranian reporter asked Ahmadinejad how he could say during an appearance at Columbia University on Monday that there are no homosexuals in Iran, noting that she knew a few herself. > “Seriously?” he replied. “I don’t know of any.” He asked for their addresses so the government could “be aware of what’s going on.” No doubt some census forms and other questionaires need to be handed out to this undocumented minority group. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/44 "2007-09-26T16:56:19Z")
It’s only entertaining until you take a step back and look at some of the pictures floating around of men hanged because they are gay. Of course, the Iranian’s ALSO slapped on ‘child molester’ on them as well…after the trial and before the hanging. The report I read yesterday was claiming as many 400 gay men may have been killed in this way. Not a lot…but any is too many. -XT ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/45 "2007-09-26T17:25:55Z")
[QUOTE=xtisme] It’s only entertaining until you take a step back and look at some of the pictures floating around of men hanged because they are gay. Of course, the Iranian’s ALSO slapped on ‘child molester’ on them as well…after the trial and before the hanging. The report I read yesterday was claiming as many 400 gay men may have been killed in this way. Not a lot…but any is too many. -XT [/QUOTE] I figured I would have to explain my “entertaining” remark. :smack: While I presume that the persecution of homesexuals is real and terrible to behold in Iran, this incident (the Q&A session with Ahmadinejad) does not increase the danger to any particular individual homsexual(s) currently in Iran. (Unless you assume that the Iranian reporter will now be agressively interogated for those addresses.) As such, the only thing to result from this Q&A session (with Ahmadinejad’s response) is that the Iranian President continues to make himself look like a jerk to western eyes. It’s refreshing and entertaining to see someone other than the US President put their foot in their mouth. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/46 "2007-09-26T23:11:18Z")
he has cancelled quite a few of his interviews. amanpour was able to cajole 5 minutes with him instead of the 60 minutes she was promised. things may have gotten a bit to tough for him. on the other hand, way to go, ms goldwasser! ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326/47 "2007-09-27T20:01:52Z")
More insight from the _San Diego Union-Tribune_ today. In a nut-shell, claims are made by one of the “reform politicians”, Mohsen Mirdamadi, that President Ahmadinejad may have experienced a boost in his sagging popularity at home, due to the harsh treatment Ahmadinejad received at the hands of Bollinger. > [@SDU-T](#): > > “Our President appeared as a gentleman. He remained polite against those who could not remain polite,” said Ahmad Masoudi, a customer at a grocery store who had watched the state television’s recorded version of the event. If _that_ was President Ahmadinejad’s ultimate goal (to shore up weakening support at home), then the man is more crafty than I thought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-ahmidinejad-doing-so-many-interviews/420326.md?page=2)