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Iran Front Gave $ To Columbia Before Ahmadinejad's Visit

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A nonprofit organization accused of serving as a "front for the Iranian government" donated $100,000 to Columbia University just months before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a controversial appearance at the school.

The Times reports that the embattled Alavi Foundation — a group that has long supported educational programs on Islamic and Iranian culture but is now under fire for "illegally providing money and other services" to Iran — made its largest ever donation to the school several months before Ahmadinejad's visit. The organization is facing a lawsuit by federal prosecutors and it is fighting to maintain control of land holdings including a Midtown office building.

Columbia spokesman David M. Stone insisted that the July 2007 grant of $100,000 went towards a course in classical Persian language, which received another $50,000 from the group the following year. "We were as surprised as every other university and nonprofit group that may have received such donations about the recent news reports regarding this foundation,” said Stone, who added that any connection between the donation and the invitation of Ahmadinejad "is false, and does not stand up to rational scrutiny.”

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  • books

    what wars has Iran started?

    The US and Israel who are the ones trying to convince everyone that iran is EVIL have started more wars in the last 50 years than anyone - Iran hasnt started ANY wars -the last war they had was against Iraq which again the USA fully supported Sadamm starting - Wake up america! You're being duped!

  • CGNY

    Arab & Muslim regimes have started more wars and carried out more massacres than Israel & America combined. Here's a partial list:

    Arab massacre of Jews in Hebron during August 1929

    Iraq, TransJordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt invading Israel

    Arab massacre of Hadassah medical convoy in 1948 (100 civilian murdered)

    Chechnya

    Pakistan splitting to become India

    Egypt invading Yemen (Egypt's Vietnam)

    Palestinians invading Jordan which led to Black September

    Palestinians invading Lebanon which led to Lebanese civil war

    Syria invading and occupying Lebanon

    Sudan genocide

    Balkan War

    Iraq-Iran war

    Muslims genocide of Armenians

    Muslim genocide of Christian Assyrians in Iraq

    The list goes on and on, but you get the point.

  • jpeditor

    Go suck a jihad egg - The Iranian govt SHOOTS WOMEN IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD IN SOCCER FIELDS, you moron.

    They bury them in the ground and stone them, and they hang protestors from cranes.

    They just stole an election and are shooting pro-democracy iranians.

    And they are backing Hezbullah and Hamas... Oh wait, THOSE ARE YOUR FRIENDS.

    Stick to louie armstrong - the rest is out of your league.

  • books

    jp think a little.....

    in america capital punishment is LEGAL - nearly 4K people are on death row now - they will die too - not publically like the people you mention in Iran but its not different in ANYWAY.

    Hezbullah and Hamas are another discussion. they've never attacked an American, if you read the history of israel you'll understand why they exist.

    I can remember before we invaded Iraq we heard stories about how sadamm how wmd and killed babies and raped women all these horrible things...of course there were no wmd's. the us winded up killing 50K or is it 100K people...a few high profile rapes too...

    heres a little insight for you...a pattern that always happens..demonize the enemy before you attack..happened in iraq, happening with iran now....probably happened in every war since the begining of time...think for you self. i know its hard.

  • jpeditor

    "Columbia spokesman David M. Stone insisted that the July 2007 grant of $100,000 went towards a course in classical Persian language, which received another $50,000 from the group the following year."

    And then we took the money from the languge class and moved it to the nuclear flying carpet weaving class. Hey it's fungible!

    "We were as surprised as every other university and nonprofit group that may have received such donations about the recent news reports regarding this foundation,” said Stone, who added that any connection between the donation and the invitation of Ahmadinejad "is false, and does not stand up to rational scrutiny.”

    Right, like they never do background scrutiny on the foundations they are sucking up to for $.

    Columbia, university of idiots, or Jihad-enabling, lying turds.

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