2 good reads on Bollinger and Ahmadinejad in Columbia University
Saturday, October 13, 2007 by Sanam
I highly recommend everyone to read this thoughtful post by Hamid Dabashi*, an Iranian professor at Columbia University, about Bollinger’s racist remarks and the politics around Ahmadinejad’s visit to Columbia University. Best article I’ve read about the issue so far:
Of banality and burden
Also, the following article written by an Iranian queer woman about Ahmadinejad’s infamous remarks about not having homosexuals in Iran is worth reading:
Blown out of proportion
*Note: I don’t necessarily approve all Debashi’s views and perspectives, but I found this specific article very well-written and with valid arguments. Also, I don’t approve Ahmadinejad’s politics at all, and I didn’t see these articles as apologetic of Ahmadinejad’s politics at all, either.
Bonjour Lady Sun,
Just finished H.D. lengthy article. There are some questions nevertheless.
1. What has Rudyard Kipling’s poem to do with the meeting between two men who crave to stand in the limelight?
2. I don’t think Iran’s president is a cruel dictator. He has been elected some years ago by his own people.
3. Mr. H.Dabashi is against this kind of meeting. I wonder why. It has the merit to let everybody see for himself. I wonder if H.D would not prefer to let him alone explain what we other people should think about this or that.
Many journalists and other members of the “chattering classes” loath and fear the internet. For the first time in history people like you and me can answer and are being heard.
Georg
Georg
Khorshid Khanoom–
I find it disingenuous of you to “distance” yourself from a scholar such as Dabashi. Putting a footnote above his name is sign of fear, who are you afraid of distancing from yourself by agreeing with Dabashi?
He has spoken out against neocons, neoliberals both within Iranian Studies and in Iranian politics, the Islamic Republic and its anti-women policies (and of all people you should know that), career-opportunists like Nafisi who cash on the “woman issue” in the Muslim world, US imperialism, war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the apartheid state of Israel, so which one of these “views and perspectives” are you afraid of siding with? It is a sign of growing up in a coward political culture to talk vaguely and with innuendos. Why don´t you come out and say which one of his views you disagree with?
Dabashi may be a persona nan grata within the corrupt Iranian Studies folks and neocons and neoliberals, but why would someone like you be afraid of appearing to agree with someone who has spoken truth to power more than anybody else in the Iranian academic/activist community? Can you name just one other person who comes even close to Dabashi in terms of courage and honesty despite any consequences to his/her job and reputation?
Be more clear or you may fall into that trap yourself. It may do you good to be brave and show your true politics!
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Lady Sun: My sentence is clear: “I don’t necessarily approve all Debashi’s views and perspectives.” I’m not afraid of agreeing with him. I even emailed him and thanked him for writing this article and send this article to lots of my friends. The reason I put that sentence was because I’m not familiar with all of his views, and I’ve heard that some of his writings have brought up controversies, specially his writings about Nafisi, which I haven’t read. I don’t want to sit here and argue with someone who will quote this and that from Dabashi and then challenge me for them. I wanted to make it clear that in this post I’m just talking about this specific article (and I’ve made it clear that I agree with this specific article and I’ve found it well-argued, without being afraid). I didn’t want to be interrogated for something that I’m not even familiar with. Honestly, I don’t have time for it, and perhaps I should read more of Dabashi’s articles to be able to defend or reject them.
I was very clear in what I wrote and I’m totally fine with it. Perhaps you should stop reading between the lines and psychoanalyzing me when not necessary!
I read Dabashi’s article. Bollinger’s speech certainly does seem to be a very one sided diatribe that borrows heavily from neocon and Israeli lobby propaganda. Ahmadinejad’s views on many subjects are not worthy of respect, indeed, some are serious affronts to human rights and dignity! However, it is simply inappropriate for a university president to castigate an invited guest lecturer the way that Bollinger did. Further, Ahmadinejad’s ridiculous beliefs aside, he is the President of Iran. To insult a visiting head of state is, to some extent, to insult the entire country that he represents. Bollinger’s remarks should have been brief and polite. Also, he would have been wise to consult with Dabashi’s department in advance of Ahmadinejad’s visit to Columbia.
Regarding the other article, I think that Dosar-gohi makes a good point that some of the people who are making a big deal about Ahmadinejad’s views on homosexuality in Iran probably don’t really care much about the rights of gay people. They have just jumped on the gay rights bandwagon to suit their own agenda. How many of these “jumpers” actually know a gay person? How many would be willing to call a gay person a friend? Ahmadinejad is a hypocrite in a great many ways, but some of his most ardent critics may well be hypocrites too. That seems to be the main point of this article and I don’t doubt that there is some merit to that idea.
Korshid khanoom salam
Koobi? man gablanha blog ro mekondam valley 6 mah nashod. Vagtyee kondam va dedam cheh etefagyee to zendegt oftadeh, keile naraht shodam. Namedonam chera? Aslan horyee tanam reekt. omidvaram keh hameh chyee asoontar sheh. Medonam famila ham to iran, yeh fekrayeh bekososyee daran, koodeto naraht nakoon.
man koodam ezedevaj kardam o 28 salameh, va keile harfato dark mekonam.
Namedonam aslan chera daram eno barat mezanam, valley delam keile shekast keh barat en etefag oftad valley akar zaman nist vah nah avaleshyee nah akaressh. 100% zendegyet behatr mesheh. Omidvaram hamesheh delet shad bashe. Medonam en hitch rabtyee nadast beh en postet valley mekastam bekonyee.
Happy Halloween Sanam! :)
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Lady Sun: Thanks David. Same for you :) Of course I don’t have time to have fun, since I have an assignment due tomorrow morning! But our apartment complex had a Halloween celebration for children on Monday which I attended. It was fun to see all the cute children in costumes! :)
Dear sanam,
is every thing O.K.? Please let me hear from you.