Ahmadinejad’s Bully Pulpit

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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“We are in the process of a historical war between the world of arrogance and the Islamic world.”

— Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, October 26, 2005

According to his official Web site, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has met with more than 30 heads of state in Iran and more than 60 other high-ranking world leaders in 15 countries, as well as with heads of terrorist organizations, since he became president of Iran a little over a year ago.

Over this period, Mr. Ahmadinejad has used his “bully pulpit” to make contentious statements against Jews, Israel, the West, and in particular the “great Satan” — i.e., America — which he describes as hegemonic and as a superpower made of straw. He warns that America will be “slapped,””branded in shame,” and “removed from power.”

On July 25, 2005, in one of his first speeches after being elected, the president appeared on Iran’s Channel 1 and told the world: “The message of the [Islamic] revolution is global, and is not restricted to a specific place or time. It is a human message, and it will move forward. … Allah willing, Islam will conquer … all the mountaintops of the world.”

One of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s global objectives for the world, with Iran at the helm, is to put America in its place.”Today, all the peoples have awoken,” he said on IRINN TV on August 2. “The Iranian people are the standard-bearer of this awakening. … From the southernmost point in South America to the easternmost point in Asia, all the people are shouting a single cry, with placards in their hands and clenched fists.”

In a warning broadcast on IRINN TV two weeks later, he added, “You should acknowledge … the might of the Iranian people, and you should bow and surrender. … If you do not accept this, the Iranian people will force you to bow and surrender.”

The Iranian Students News Agency published a speech by Mr. Ahmadinejad at the World Without Zionism conference last October in which he cited the disappearance of three regimes —the shah’s in Iran, Saddam Hussein’s in Iraq, and the Soviet Union — as precursors for the destruction of America and Israel. “Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism? … This slogan and this goal are attainable, and surely can be achieved,” he said.

“If anyone plans to violate the rights of the Iranian people, the Iranian people will brand a shameful mark of remorse on his forehead,” Mr. Ahmadinejad warned in a speech on IRINN TV on March 8. Two months later, he gave an ultimatum to America: “Today, they face a historic choice … to surrender to justice and … to abandon their arrogance. … If they don’t, they will soon face the powerful slap of the peoples who have arisen.” Mr. Ahmadinejad attacked “the superpower made of straw” — i.e., the American government — in an appearance on IRINN TV on February 1. “In the near future, Allah willing, we will put you to trial in courts established by the peoples.”

He elaborated in an August 1 speech on IRINN TV. “In light of America and England’s behavior … they themselves are guilty and criminal, and must be placed on trial. … I warn them: Know that the fire of the wrath of the peoples is about to erupt and overflow. … They will drag everybody to the defendant’s bench, and will remove them from the throne of power,” he said.

Mr. Ahmadinejad often uses his “bully pulpit” to explain that Islam is far superior to Western liberalism. In a speech on January 5 on IRINN TV, he said: “One of our slogans during the revolution was ‘we will convert the entire world to Islam without logic.’ We are confident that the Islamic logic, culture, and discourse can prove their superiority in all fields over all schools of thought and theories.”

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on his address to leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement in Cuba on Sunday, “Ahmadinejad described [Western] liberalism as a failed school of thought, experiencing its demise, and added that world hatred for the arrogant attitude and expansionist policies of the U.S. is on the increase, while the U.S., which is the symbol and manifestation of imperialism, is moving on a steep slope toward annihilation.”

As the world body gathers in New York this week, a question that must be asked is: Will anyone stand up against this bully Ahmadinejad?

Mr. Stalinsky is the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.


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