Iranian leader’s invite stirs ire

Columbia University’s invitation to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at the Ivy League school’s New York City campus tomorrow is a “disgrace,” says conservative author David Horowitz, a Columbia alumnus.

“Why are they inviting the Persian Hitler to Columbia?” Mr. Horowitz said in a telephone interview with The Washington Times. “It’s a disgrace. … What Columbia is doing is giving moral support to genocide, and as an alumni, I am deeply ashamed.”

The debate over extending speaking invitations to controversial public figures is fairly new. In the 1960s, there were campus protests over inviting members of the American Nazi Party and radical groups espousing violence. Today, the backdrop is often the contentious politics of the post-September 11 Middle East.

At Columbia, more than 800 students have joined an online group organizing a protest against the appearance by the Iranian president, who has called for the destruction of Israel.

University President Lee Bollinger has said the Ahmadinejad invitation is in keeping with “Columbia’s long-standing tradition of serving as a major forum for robust debate.”

Naming a list of current and former Bush administration officials, Mr. Horowitz said, “Just ask yourself … do you think any of those people would be invited to Columbia by the president of the university under the pretext of a ‘robust debate?’ ”

Mr. Horowitz, the author of more than 20 books, said he’s never been invited to lecture at Columbia, “certainly not by Lee Bollinger.”

Currently promoting the paperback edition of his book “The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America,” Mr. Horowitz said: “There are nine professors from Columbia in my book — that should tell you something. No other university has more than about three.”

Columbia’s invitation to Mr. Ahmadinejad is an example of the current climate at America’s universities, he said.

“It shows that these people do not appreciate that we’re in a war,” said Mr. Horowitz, who has promoted legislation and organized a campus group, Students for Academic Freedom, to “end political abuse” at universities. “The curriculum today teaches students to be sympathetic to our enemies.”

The disputes about controversial speaking invitations are usually closely followed by blogs on all sides, whose readers deluge colleges with e-mails. Many schools resolve to endure the bad publicity (and potential fundraising hit) and try to create a “teachable moment.” Others have canceled or rescinded invitations, citing security concerns or a lack of “balance.”

Hamilton College in New York canceled a talk by Ward Churchill, who had called September 11 victims “little Eichmanns,” after receiving threats.

Other controversial speakers have faced opposition less from administrators than from attendees.

At Yale, for instance, speakers such as neoconservative scholar Daniel Pipes and Israel critic Norman Finkelstein have been greeted with campus protests.

While Columbia is going ahead with its plans to host Mr. Ahmadinejad, the University of California rescinded its invitation to another prominent figure — former Harvard President Lawrence Summers.

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