Here's Another Example

Submitted by Alex (United States), Jul 26, 2009 at 11:54

I once attended at Washington University in St. Louis a very small informal discussion with former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abtahi, and when one Israeli faculty member asked Mr Abtahi's translator if the former Vice President had referred to Tel Aviv in one of his comments, Mr. Abtahi responded (in Farsi), "No, Tel Aviv is the one place I haven't been."

He seemed genuinely open to the idea that he might one day go, although one must of course remember that he has been part of the most anti-Semitic regime in the world since the Nazis.

On a purely personal level, he was a very nice guy, actually walking with me around the conference table to pick up and throw in the trash the paper plates and dixie cups that faculty had left after finishing their coffee and pastry and leaving the room.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".