Columbia University
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The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has condemned Columbia University for inviting anti-Semitic "Israelophobic" Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to address the University’s World Leaders Forum this week.

ZOA noted that "other enemies of the Jewish people, like Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been welcomed by Columbia, giving it the perverse distinction of being a pioneer in the Western hemisphere in seeking out and honoring vicious anti-Semitic leaders."

In his remarks on Wednesday at Columbia, Dr. Mahathir resorted to repeating numerous of his earlier statements and positions on Jews: he used insulting anti-Jewish language, calling Jews "hook-nosed," insisted that Jews "rule the world by proxy," questioned the number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and conflated his right to free speech with immunity from criticism when criticized for vicious Jew-hating statements.

Dr. Mahathir also proclaimed that he is "glad to be labeled anti-Semitic."

The ZOA has strongly criticized Dr. Mahathir’s statements on several previous occasions, in which he frequently compares Israel to the Nazis and "makes offensive stereotypical statements about Jews, ad nauseaum."

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "We are appalled and disgusted that Columbia University has repeated its terrible mistake of inviting Holocaust denying anti-Semites, like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to address its prestigious forums. Although criticized widely at the time, Columbia seems to have learnt nothing from the invitation it extended to Ahmadinejad."

"By inviting Mahathir to address the University’s forum this week, Columbia granted a podium and, no less worrying, bestowed an aura of respectability, upon a Jew-baiting, Israel-hating anti-Semite.

"Worse, by enabling Mahathir’s reiteration of his repeated anti-Semitic claims, Columbia has permitted the impression to form that Mahathir’s Holocaust minimization and comparisons of Israel and Zionism to Hitler and Nazi Germany are reasonable points of view for debate and discussion.

"Are David Dukes’ racist views on African- Americans reasonable subjects for debate at Columbia University? Of course not. Yet Columbia lost little time in inviting Mahathir to speak.

"It is as if Columbia could hardly wait to extend an invitation to Dr. Mahathir, who only recently last year returned to office as prime minister.

"Columbia’s donors and alumni, who might once have understandably felt inclined to bestow gifts upon the university that once gave them a superb education, should cease writing checks to Columbia University until it apologizes for its conduct and comprehensively stops enabling Jew-haters and advocates of Israel’s destruction."