Mennonite
Central
Committee

Summary of issues discussed with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

 

Background

On September 20, 2006, some 45 U.S. religious leaders met with Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York City to discuss the role that religious communities can play in reversing the deepening crisis between Iran and the United States.  At the end of that 75-minute conversation – which also included discussion about the Holocaust, nuclear weapons and the use of hostile rhetoric -- President Ahmadinejad invited the group to come to Tehran for further conversations.

A group of 13 U.S. religious leaders met with President Ahmadinejad in Tehran on February 24, 2007.  Topics discussed in this 2 ½ hour meeting included the role of religion in peacemaking, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iraq and nuclear weapons.
Below is a summary of key issues discussed in the two meetings with President Ahmadinejad.

The Holocaust

In person, Ahmadinejad’s position on the Holocaust is more nuanced than his statements reported in the press. Rather than denying that the Holocaust took place, he asked, “Why are Palestinians paying the price for atrocities that happened in Europe?”  He also said that, if the Holocaust is an historical fact, we should encourage scholarly debate about it – something he feels is discouraged in some circles.  Finally, he noted that more than 50 million civilians were killed in World War II. “Why is the international community focused only on members of the Jewish community who were killed?” he asked.

Iran’s nuclear program

President Ahmadinejad stated that Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that Iran is not producing nuclear weapons.  He acknowledged that Iran now has the capability of producing nuclear fuel, but declared that nuclear weapons are at odds with Islamic beliefs.  He offered both religious and strategic reasons why Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons. “Our beliefs are against weapons of mass destruction,” he said.  “Such weapons are no longer effective,” Ahmadinejad asserted, citing the failure of such weapons to save the Soviet Union and the apartheid regime of South Africa or to produce an American victory in Iraq.  He called for a common standard of inspections for all nations who have nuclear programs.

Israel-Palestine

With regard to his comments about “wiping Israel off the map,” Ahmadinejad said that he is “not talking about war” but about a political solution.  He specifically said that there can be no military solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict only a political one.   He envisions that all Jews, Christians and Muslims of Israel and Palestine – including Palestinian refugees scattered throughout the region – should have the right to participate in a referendum to select a government that will represent the will of the majority. “Our proposal is a principled proposal,” he said, “Palestinians should have the right to choose.”  Ahmadinejad said he has great respect for the Jewish faith, but believes the policies of the Israeli government are at odds with Jewish principles.