Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asked the NYC Police Department if he could lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site, before his appearance on Sunday at the UN General Assembly. Unfortunately (in my opinion) his request was denied and even vehemently objected to.
I can not fault the large outcry by the American public. For in my eyes, the media has done a fascinating job of commanding public opinion and severly misinforming us about the issues surrounding Iran. However, what upsets me more are the statements issued by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani. I thought they would be a bit more diplomatic. Instead, it seems in an effort to score points with the voters, all three denounced his request as "unacceptable," "outrageous" and "shockingly audacious." In my opinion, these selfish remarks have all but killed any hope of having a formal and legitamate debate in this country about Iran.
Did you know, Iran was the only Middle East country to hold a formal state-organized vigil for the victims of 9/11? This is something you would never hear about in American media outlets. Like Pakistan, the debate on Iran has been overpowered by negative perceptions.
Don't get me wrong. President Ahmadinejad has made a number of reckless statements, but show me someone who hasn't. In my opinion, his request to visit Ground Zero was a gesture of good will. A possible step in the right direction. Instead, it was undermined by the reckless comments of three presidential candidates who, themselves, periodically stress the importance of talking to your enemies. Their statements, like past ones made by Ahmadinejad, represent poor judgement and continue to feed ill-will and misunderstanding.
I just wish the majority of US citizens would identify this and see past the negative drumbeat that is perpetuated by politicians and the media. Question the fairness and honesty of the flavors you hear in mainstream news.
I highly recommend to whoever is interested in truly learning about Iran - its people and government - to watch this...
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1341/
3 comments:
Continue your lame blogs Hasan. Nobody wants to read about this. You lost me after the first sentence. Your blog is garbage just like your sports knowledge.
Continue your lame blogs Hasan. Nobody wants to read about this. You lost me after the first sentence. Your blog is garbage just like your sports knowledge.
I find this entry very insightful. It's refreshing to see the youth so aware of word events. Salud!
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