Religious leaders that hosted a highly-criticized dinner for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday asked the fiercely anti-U.S. politician to change his tone when speaking on a number of sensitive topics.
Arli Klassen, executive director of the Mennonite Central Committee, introduced the discussion by maintaining that dialogue is crucial when people hold conflicting views. But she also pressed the hardline Iranian leader to change the way he speaks, which has made him many enemies worldwide.
"We are deeply concerned when your statements about the Holocaust minimize or diminish its impact on our world today,” said Klassen to Ahmadinejad, according to Reuters, “and on Jewish people today."
"We ask you to change the way you speak about the Holocaust," she challenged.
She also asked the controversial guest to avoid rhetoric that “is heard as a threat to destroy the state of Israel,” to respect religious freedom in Iran, and to be more transparent about the country’s nuclear program.
In the past, Ahmadinejad has stated that Israel should be wiped off the map. He has also convened a highly-controversial conference in 2006 to question the historical truth of the Holocaust.
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, who was also a speaker, admitted that “a lot of it was very challenging” concerning Ahmadinejad’s speech. While the Iranian president did not outright deny the Holocaust, she noted, he had minimized it in how he spoke about World War II.
"Our world views are rather different. But unless we ... dialogue face to face, how will we create any kind of understanding?" Gottlieb said, adding that she chose to attend because "peace is better than war."
Some 200 people of various faiths, including Mennonites, United Methodists, Jews and Zoroastrians, attended the dinner in New York City – an event meant to promote peace between the two countries.
But outside the Manhattan hotel near the United Nations headquarters were protesters who brandished signs that read “No feast with the beast” and compared Ahmadinejad to Hitler.
Likewise, religious and human rights groups such as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the American Center for Law & Justice, and Institute on Religion and Public Policy have condemned the dinner event for seemingly honoring or welcoming the figure who has been linked to terrorism and horrendous human rights violations.
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and Ahmadinejad complies
cabootee,
its folks like you that make me very happy the US is not a theocracy. You appear to be a christian version of the taliban. Good luck with that...........
scitsonga
Perhaps you are suffering from hyper-religiosity.
I guess I am.
Of course, in your mind, you hold the truths of the universe.
I guess I do.
Your religion, your take on religion, your world view are the correct ones- everyone else is evil, wrong and misguided.
So true so true.
Your posts suggest you to be a very inflexible and highly intolerant person, very scary.
Very true I know what I believe and it scares people like you.
My guess is you would not be a lot of fun to have a beer with.
I don't drink.
PS â??You are like Obama you think talk means something to crazy peopleâ??
What ? dude that maks no sense
cabootee
Perhaps you are suffering from hyper-religiosity. Of course, in your mind, you hold the truths of the universe. Your religion, your take on religion, your world view are the correct ones- everyone else is evil, wrong and misguided. Your posts suggest you to be a very inflexible and highly intolerant person, very scary. My guess is you would not be a lot of fun to have a beer with.
PS â
"scitsonga"-- You are using any excuse not to believe in God. You are like Obama you think talk means something to crazy people. Well you are wrong. Maybe you don't want to believe in God so you don't have to obey him.You use the excuse everybody thinks their religion is the one. Christianity is the one. It offers salvation and redemption through a loving God. You want to use intellegiance to score your points in the world problems and with dictators, it won't work. Despite what happens in Iran or anywhere else we Christains know we have a better ending then what is going on. We rely on godly wisdom and trust in the only one that knows what happens before it happens.
cabootee " Islam is a cursed religion and the Koran is not a book of God's love or redemption..........!"
yada, yada, everyone believes their religion to be the "correct" one, thats why I dont believe any of them...
Please, what faith. These people that met with this terrorist dictator are traitors to there own country. Ahmadinejad's religion is not equal to ours. This man thinks he is better that Jews. Jews and Christians are a threat to him because we believe what the Bible says and we believe the Bible is the only word of God. This man should not have been allowed in the US and those having dinner with him should be ashamed. Their intentions may be good but where is the wisdom. It is like a normal person trying to converse with a maniac? Does the maniac understand? No I don't think so. I stand with the Jews & Israel. Islam is a cursed religion and the Koran is not a book of God's love or redemption..........!
Looks like we have another censor on the loose that is against free speech. I hope the petty person doing the flagging would come forward and offer an explanation on why he or she believes they need to control information and make themselves the information police. In a theocracy such as Iran or Saudi Arabia, censorship is commonplace. A reason for the 1st amendment to the US constitution, is keep religion out of government, the courts and public schools in order to prevent the establishment of a theocratic state which would lead to censorship.
Please come forward flagger and explain yourself and stop the censorship. There was nothing in my post that one would consider offensive, Im sure there was plenty for some to disagree with, but thats the nature of free expression in a democracy.
indochristian
Big problems were created in Iran by the US and Britain when they overthrew the Iranian prime minister, Mohammed Mosaddeq in 1953 and installed the West's' puppet dictator- the Shah, he would then become a loyal US business partner- OIL & WEAPONS as opposed to Mosadddeq who wanted nationalize the Iranian oil industry as he had every right to do as a representative of the Iranian people. The Shah's brutal reign finally ended with the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the unfortunate rise to power of the Mullah's. If not for US meddling in Iran, it might today be a democratic republic. There is a similar circumstance today in Saudi Arabia, it is ruled by a corrupt and autocratic royal family. Like the Shah, they are important business partners of the US- the US sells them weapons and the US military machine protects the royal family, they in turn sell us oil. The SA royal family is also friends and business partners to the bush family. So much for US defenders of democracy in the ME. Perhaps now you can get some idea why millions of Muslims and Middle Easterners are weary of the West. Perhaps its time to let the peoples of the ME solve their own problems. I recommend that you do a bit of research on the Middle East and the West's influence there in the 20th C to better learn about the complicated relationship between the peoples of the West and ME, you might then determine thats its time for the US to leave the people of Iran alone to solve their own problems.
We must engage IRAN, to show the Iranian public that we are not against them. Ahmadinejad is not popular with intellects and has a large silent opposition in Iran. It is possible to topple him with intelligent strategy.
art "Iran is fulfilling Biblical Prophesy."
LOL.....saying the same thing in 1970's about USSR and that "end-times" are very near
You might just as well expect a leperd to change it's spots, as to expect the president of Iran to change.
And as usual, to make excuse for the trash of some, we must blame America or Israel.
Iran is fulfilling Biblical Prophesy.
Psalm 122:6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
And Ahmadinejad's response to these exhortations was....?