My Dinner With Ahmadinejad
The Wall Street Journal
29-Sep-2008 (8 comments)

The banquet hall of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in mid-town Manhattan had the feel of an extravagant Persian wedding on Wednesday night. A crowd of over one thousand guests, dressed in formal attire, sat around tightly packed tables munching on Iranian delicacies and chit-chatting casually in Farsi.

>>>
Hajminator

Bon appétit

by Hajminator on Mon Sep 29, 2008 07:08 AM PDT

Mahmood as we know ... Ahmadinejad: "If there were a true and free referendum in the U.S., Iran would be voted the most popular country in the world."


Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
Jaleho

IranDokht, you're angry not because

by Jaleho on Mon Sep 29, 2008 06:56 PM PDT

the gathering with Ahmadinejad sounded anything like 2500 years celebration of Shah. In fact, you look quite FUNNY making such comparisons, and you know it well too.

The real reason that you are angry is because you realised that unlike yourself who were engrossed by Ahmadinejad's look and the translator's voice in Larry King's interview, MANY Iranians, less superficial ones, were proud to welcome him as their leader. You didn't like the recognition of belonging in such a petty minority which Iranian.com makes you believe is a respectable majority!


  •  
default

dear Incredulous,

by Anonymous8 (not verified) on Mon Sep 29, 2008 06:31 PM PDT

SO many traitors! So little time.

What are we going to do with all these traitors?


  •  
Mehdi

Awesome news! Iranians finally realizing unity is the best

by Mehdi on Mon Sep 29, 2008 05:38 PM PDT

It is finally time to realize that the solution is not a revolution or violent acts. It is time to realize that disruption of Iran relationship with the West was in fact the handiwork of communists and not really something even hardliner Moslems wanted or want. It is time to put negativity behind and unite. It is time to cast aside hatred and old troubles and start building a new Iran together. It is time include everyone in this equation. It is time to let reason rule and not force. I am happy to see such a large crowd showed up. I hope soon we will have Iran-US relations restored. Thanks everyone!


  •  
IRANdokht

why do I feel so angry!

by IRANdokht on Mon Sep 29, 2008 03:50 PM PDT

A lot of politicians throw dinner parties, a lot of Iranians decorate the halls with Persepolis pictures and Iranian flags, a lot of us play music in gatherings and somehow I never find those actions to be out-of-place and insulting and hypocritical, but knowing the people of Iran are dealing with all the issues from economy, to human rights violations to unemployment, to inflation, to civil rights violations, knowing that there are people who go to sleep hungry in our rich country makes me angry to read this "popular and populist" president is having galas in NY.

Where are the people who were outraged about the 2500 yrs celebration parties of Shah?  Did so many people have a hard time making ends meet during Shah's reign too?  Did we have such a big and full cemetry back then too? Were the prisons so populated too? Was Iran #1 in executing juveniles and #2 in total executions then too? Was oil $100 a barrel back then too?  

IRANdokht

I want to see people just throw a sofreh on the ground for him and feed him
aab-doogh-khiyar the same way he hosted Morales just recently. 

No No I want to see him and his boss on trial. That's what I really want to see!

 


  •  
default

What an honor

by Abbas Moshiri (not verified) on Mon Sep 29, 2008 03:21 PM PDT

I wish I could meet him. How lucky for them. I enjoy his speeches and intelligence, something that you forget humanity has living away for a long time and hanging in Tehrangeles.


  •  
default

Mahmoud the charmer

by NiloufarParsi (not verified) on Mon Sep 29, 2008 01:29 PM PDT

great article! loved the part where she exposes his logical contradictions. really hope he loses next year's election...


  •  
default

Traitors

by Incredulous (not verified) on Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:33 AM PDT

The cultural service phoned people and asked them to have dinner with Ahmadinejad and people effectively accepted! I just can't believe it. This government is not acting for people, so why people continue to support it? Mullahs are just wasting people's money by giving it to Arabs and that for their self-existence. How can we be so blind to be fooled again and again by these traitors? For me, those who went to that dinner are also traitors to their nation ...


  •