MahMoud Ahmadinejad: Iran Has no Homosexuals

Yesterday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University. During his presentation, he received the following question:

Iranian women are now denied basic human rights and your government has imposed Draconian punishments, including execution, on Iranian citizens who are homosexuals. Why are you doing those things?

At first, Ahmadinejad tried to avoid the question by talking about drug dealers and capital punishment, but Columbia University President Lee Bollinger pressed Ahmadinejad to answer the question. The result is in the video.

Ahmadinejad’s answer was so bad, such an apparent lie, that the audience that had applauded his earlier answers laughed. Not with him — at him.

Unfortunately, Iran’s treatment of homosexuals is no laughing matter. Mere Rhetoric has graphic photos and video.

Cox & Forkum has a political carton of Ahmadinejad’s answer.

2 responses to “MahMoud Ahmadinejad: Iran Has no Homosexuals”

  1. Josh Bancroft Avatar

    I heard the audio of this on NPR today, doing a story about the underground gay community in Iran. It really was, well, remarkable how bald-faced he put that lie out there, and how people laughed.

    You have to wonder, though. He’s not an idiot (at least, I assume he’s not an idiot). He knew no one would believe what he said. But he said it anyway. So what was the REAL message he was trying to put out there?

    Kind of scary…

  2. Brent Logan Avatar

    I think Ahmadinejad’s claim is open to multiple interpretations:

    • Iran has no homosexuals because any that are found are executed;
    • Iran has no homosexuals because the burden of proof is so high that virtually none are proven to be homosexual; or
    • Iran has men who engage in homosexual behavior, but they are not considered to be homosexuals.

    (See “Homosexuality and Islam” at RelibionFacts)

    Or (to be snarky), “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”