Brookhaven Courier

Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Chris Vivero Nadia Galindo - Managing Editor

For a journalist, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are parts of most important amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Without these freedoms I could not do my job. Edward R. Murrow, a legendary journalist who helped bring McCarthyism to its knees, used these rights to unveil the evils in society and politics.

On Sept. 24 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, spoke to an audience at Columbia University in New York. According to an article published on Sept. 25 in the New York Times, about 70 percent of the crowd was anti-Ahmadinejad.

There have been reports all over the news of protest and outrage that Columbia President Lee Bollinger would invite the Iranian president to speak at his university.

Bollinger's introductory statement shocked many including Latifa Bammou, a Brookhaven College student, who said his speech showed he had no class. Many editorials have been written in newspapers calling out Bollinger for cracking under pressure and insulting an invited guest.

Ahmadinejad, who was in the U.S. to attend a U.N. meeting Sept. 25, is accused of sponsoring terrorism and fighting a proxy war against the U.S. through Iraq. Ahmadinejad has also refused to disclose information about Iran's nuclear program.

He said the issue of Iran's nuclear program should be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, not the U.N. Ahmadinejad insists his nuclear program is for energy use, which contradicts what the Bush administration has said.

With all these accusations against Ahmadinejad, he was still allowed to speak at Columbia.

I think in a time of terrorism, confusion and political imbalance, it is important not to silence opposing viewpoints.

With many complaints against the government such as continuing the war in Iraq and struggles for a new health care plan, it's great to see that America can still live up to its standards of individual freedoms.

Although President George Bush said he would not extend this invitation to an enemy himself, he still said the decision to invite Ahmadinejad to Columbia University was OK.

I know the majority of people are outraged by his speech. I, on the other hand, am proud of our country because we do not take these essential rights away from anyone, even our enemies.

This is what makes our country the best. We have the power to say what we think.

If we can give our enemies the right to voice their opinion, then as Americans we have the chance to voice our own.

I say it is only the American way to say, "We may not like you, but we want to hear what you have to say."

Although this speech may have worsened already unpleasant impressions of Ahmadinejad, his point of view is valuable.

He has shared with the international community his extremism and dictatorship tendencies. He openly said there are no gays in Iran. Is that an honest statement?

He even denied that the Holocaust happened. According to some, this attempt to gain America's respect is a sign of weakness. This is why freedom of speech is necessary.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools