Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sparks Criticism for U.S. Visit

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s scheduled appearance at the United Nations and Columbia University has sparked outrage amongst several groups in the United States and will likely result in a massive protest when the leader begins his speaking tour at the university on Monday.

Seen as an ally of Islamic militants, Ahmadinejad has grabbed headlines for openly calling for the destruction of Israel and questioning the accounts of the Holocaust.

Columbia University has been asked to withdraw its invitation to Ahmadinejad yet the school’s president, Lee Bollinger, defended the school’s decision to host the controversial leader by saying “as a community dedicated to learning and scholarship, (Columbia) is committed to confronting ideas.”

Along with the Columbia University controversy was Ahmadinejad’s request to lay a wreath at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center disaster that claimed the lives of thousands on September 11, 2001. That request was denied by New York City officials.

That visit, while not welcomed by most in New York, will likely take place as part of the United Nations diplomatic convention that permits representatives of member states to visit sites within 25 miles of the United Nations headquarters.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday; an opportunity that Iran’s leader said “is a good opportunity to present the solutions of the Iranian people to solve the problems of the world.”

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