Dear Lee:
I am writing to you with the hope that I can persuade you to consider an
aspect of the Ahamadinejad visit that you may not be aware of. I further
hope that you will reconsider your position and decide not to welcome
Ahamadinejad to the Columbia Campus.
You know me and know that I am not a
fanatic. Moreover, what I have to say is not about religion - but rather
about culture and society.
Yesterday in Synagogue during the Yom Kippur service our Rabbi lead us
in singing HaTikva - the Israeli national anthem - and the Israeli flag
hangs in the sanctuary of our synagogue. The connection between the
State of Israel and the American Jewish community is a powerful one.
Almost every Jew I know in the U.S., myself included, has family or very
close friends and colleagues living in Israel.
Recent polls (confirmed by my own
personal experience) taken in Israel show that far and away Israelis
believe that the most important physical threat to their safety and
the safety of their families is not Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad
etc. but IRAN and the man you will be welcoming to our campus tomorrow -
Ahamadinejad. This is a very real perception of threat to the existence
of the State of Israel, based on Ahamadinejad's stated goal of wiping
Israel off the face of the earth.
Please educate me how inviting this
man into our campus (which will likely be considered a sign of respect
in the Islamic world) is a first amendment - freedom of speech issue?
Ahamadinejad has complete access to world-wide media and his views are
well publicized. Those at Columbia who wish to hear him speak have
merely to log onto any one of a number of web sites to get a complete
dose of Ahamadinejad's views about Israel, the holocaust and so on. Do
you have any realistic hope that questions from you or others at
Columbia will make Ahamadinejad change his views - or that by seeing
Ahamadinejad live and hearing his answers Columbia students will gain
new insights into why Israel should be destroyed or why there
really was no holocaust? Or do you think that Columbia students
actually need to see Ahamadinejad to be convinced by his
performance that he is indeed an evil madman? Or do you believe that
our students need to see you debate Ahamadinejad to be convinced
that you disagree with his support of terrorism and death for Israel?
Indeed, are you actually planing, as your statements have implied, to
debate Ahamadinejad about whether or not Israeli should be wiped out
or whether there was a holocaust?
Whose right to free speech is being
protected by inviting Ahamadinejad to Columbia? Is there no such thing
as hate speech that is not protected by freedom of speech? Is there no
place one can draw a line and say this person's speech is too hurtful?
Hitler, Idi Amin, the KKK? Would they also be invited to speak at
Columbia? Isn't there a distinction between Ahamadinejad speaking at the
UN along with all the other heads of state, and his being singled out
for an invitation to speak at Columbia?
Finally, and you need to hear this
from me, someone you know and trust - someone who has defended you and
Columbia to those who would claim that ours is an institution that is
not friendly to Jewish students - welcoming Ahamadinejad to speak at
Columbia is going to be hurtful and physically threatening to a large
segment of the Columbia community to which you, as our leader, have a
responsibility. Indeed, you have a responsibility to protect this group
of Columbians (as you do all groups), and be sensitive to concerns and
perceived threats to our existence. Ahamadinejad's visit to Columbia has
the potential, I am sad to say, to forever alter the perceptions of many
about your leadership and will make Columbia a colder, less inviting
place to some. Isn't this a steep price to pay for what will no doubt be
high theatre enjoyed by some?
I urge you to consider these issues
in the strongest possible terms. I would hesitate to share these
thoughts with you if I believed them to be in any way merely my own
concerns. Unfortunately, the concerns I have raised are foremost in the
minds of many of our colleagues here at Columbia - there is deep anguish
here at Columbia about Ahamadinejad's visit. I am afraid you are not
feeling this anguish and have made decisions that will have lasting
negative impact on a University that we care about. Columbia will be
here long after we are gone - but what state will we leave it in?
Sincerely,
Andy Marks