The scenes at Sept. 24’s question-and-answer session at Columbia University and the outpouring of venom toward President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by protesters during his visit to the United States could bolster the hard-line leader at a time of high tensions with Washington.

Columbia president Lee Bollinger’s statement – including telling Ahmadinejad that he resembles a "petty and cruel dictator" – offended Iranians on many levels, not least that of simple hospitality.

Chancellors of six Iranian universities and academic centers also expressed indignation at the aggressive tone and degrading behavior of the head of Columbia University Lee Bollinger in hosting Ahmadinejad.

They forwarded a protest letter with 10 questions to Bollinger to voice outrage at his ignorance of the principle of hosting the president of Iran, a country of great civilization and a 7,000-year history.