News from Scholars for Peace in the Middle East

For more information contact: Edward S. Beck, 717-576-5038

Scholars for Peace in The Middle East Condemns Ahmedinejad's Appearance At Columbia

NEW YORK CITY (09/23/2007; 1242)(readMedia)-- The Board of Directors of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), an international academic community of over 19,000 scholars at 1000 university campuses, strongly condemns those responsible for the appearance of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad at Columbia University for the following reasons.

1) Mr. Ahmedinejad, in violation of international law, has kidnapped and imprisoned academics.

2) Mr. Ahmedinejad, in violation of international law, has supported state-sponsored terrorism.

3) Mr. Ahmedinejad is engaging in the largest purge of academics, with arrests and expulsion of students (estimated at 3000) since the Ayatollah Khomeni's Islamic Cultural Revolution purge as a "corrective movement."

4) Mr. Ahmedinejad, in violation of principles of academic freedom, wants university textbooks rewritten to cleanse them of "infidel trash."

5) Mr. Ahmedinejad, in violation of international law, has committed incitement to commit genocide both against Israel and in Darfur.

6) Mr. Ahmedinejad, in violation of principles of academic integrity, has engaged in historical revisionism, giving credence to denial of the Holocaust as an event of history.

SPME is strongly committed to the principles of academic freedom, but it is both naive and a distortion of the principle to believe that Mr. Ahmedinejad's appearance at Columbia University furthers or even strengthens academic freedom or can even be categorized under this cherished rubric.

Columbia fails to distinguish between those who espouse hateful views--and thus can be challenged in debate--and those whose political interests depend on implementing those hateful values. The latter cannot engage in meaningful debate without relinquishing their power.

While Mr. Ahmedinejad may be a world leader and entitled to the courtesies accorded to such, he is not entitled to be legitimized academically to propagandize his positions in an institution of higher learning to develop sympathies for his cause, which are matters of life and death.

Not only would Mr. Ahmedinejad not extend the same courtesies to leaders hostile to Iran, but he considers Columbia's invitation a sign of weakness and foolishness on part of Western academics, who invite their enemies into their institutions of higher learning and allow them to spread hostile propaganda. Columbia may think it shows its moral superiority to Ahmedinejad in being so tolerant, but it merely displays to the entire world its fatal misunderstanding of the difference between freedom of speech and granting murderers legitimacy.

The Administration of Columbia University has made a very unwise decision and must be told so by faculty peers from around the world. As of this writing and circulation, it is not too late to cancel this invitation and we respectfully demand that President Bollinger do so.

Edward S. Beck, Ed.D., CCMHC, NCC, LPC, President

Board of Directors

Jonathan Adelman, Ph.D., University of Denver Steven Albert, Ph.D., MPH, University of Pittsburgh Leila Beckwith, MD, University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) John R. Cohn, MD, Thomas Jefferson University Donna Robinson Divine, Ph.D., Smith College Stanley Dubinsky, Ph.D., U. of South Carolina Awi Federgruen, Ph.D., Columbia U. Rev. India E. Garnett, M.Div. Treasurer, Harrisburg PA Chapter, United Church of Christ Rabbi Peter Haas, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve U. Judith Jacobson, Dr. P.H., Vice President, Columbia U. Efraim Karsh, Kings College U. of London Matthias Kuentzel, Ph.D., Germany Richard Landes,Ph.D. Boston U. Ruth Lichtenberg-Contreras, Ph.D., Secretary, U. of Vienna and Natural History Museum of Vienna Robert S. Mirin, Esq., Harrisburg, PA G.S. Don Morris, Ph.D.,California Polytechnic U./Wingate Institute IL Philip Carl Salzman,Ph.D. McGill U. Gerald Steinberg, Ph.D., Bar Ilan U. Ernest Sternberg, Ph.D. U. of Buffalo

For Further Information Contact:

Dr. Edward S. Beck. President 717.576.5038, ScholarsforPeace@aol.com