October 11, 2007
Iran Clarifies Leader’s Remark on Gays
By REUTERS
TEHRAN, Oct. 10 (Reuters) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran was misrepresented by Western news media when he was quoted saying there were no homosexuals in Iran, and actually meant there were not as many as in the United States, an aide to Mr. Ahmadinejad said Wednesday.
Addressing Columbia University last month, Mr. Ahmadinejad replied to a question about homosexuals in the Islamic Republic, saying, “In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” Speaking through a translator, he also said, “In Iran we don’t have this phenomenon.”
The remarks drew widespread criticism in the West.
“What Ahmadinejad said was not a political answer,” said Mohammad Kalhor, the media adviser to Mr. Ahmadinejad. “He said that, compared to American society, we don’t have many homosexuals.”
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