Ahmadinejad took the introduction with a smile, but later called it “an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here.”

“There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully,” Ahmadinejad said of his introduction. “I should not begin by being affected by this unfriendly treatment.”

The Iranian president is in New York this week to speak to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Osman Elfaki, an MSU international relations senior and former Arab Cultural Society president, interned at the United Nations in New York in 2005. He said controversial leaders often make appearances in New York on trips to the United Nations.

“He did meet the guidelines to get an entry visa to the U.S., so as long as he doesn’t violate any of the reasons that allow him to move in New York, he should be allowed to speak,” Elfaki said.

Bollinger and audience members took Ahmadinejad to task over Iran’s human rights record and foreign policy, as well as Ahmadinejad’s statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel.

Bollinger said Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust might fool the illiterate and ignorant.

“When you come to a place like this it makes you simply ridiculous,” Bollinger said. “The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history.”

Sherman Garnett, dean of James Madison College, said the event was not an indication of progress in relations with Iran.

“There’s a need for cultural understanding in the Middle East,” Garnett said. “This wasn’t a huge demonstration that we’re very close to that. There’s a lot of ugly things said on every side, but it’s one thing when the president of a major country says it.”

The university president was criticized for inviting Ahmadinejad to Columbia, and had promised tough questions in his introduction to Ahmadinejad’s talk. But the strident and personal nature of his attack on the president of Iran was startling.

Elfaki said the rude welcoming adds fuel to Ahmadinejad’s fire, as seen in the smirk he displayed when introduced. But Elfaki also said it gives Americans a glance into some of the thoughts behind President George W. Bush’s administration’s actions.

“I think the speech strengthens the U.S. government’s argument of Iran’s contribution to the war in Iraq,” Elfaki said. “Everyone’s talking about this ‘Iran rhetoric’ and that the Bush administration is trying to start another war. I think after today, the U.S. people got to see what we’re up against when it comes to Iran and that the Bush administration is not exactly lying about everything about Iran.”

During a question and answer session, Ahmadinejad appeared tense and unsmiling, in contrast to more relaxed interviews and appearances earlier in the day.

Pressed specifically about punishment of homosexuals in Iran, Ahmadinejad created a stir by saying: “In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don’t know who’s told you that we have this.”

The Iranian president’s candor did not help his cause, but he may not have been welcomed under any circumstance, Garnett said.

“Even if he were a suave, eloquent presenter, it still would have been difficult because we still haven’t had a serious dialogue on any issues,” he said. “I think it’s a problem because they’re a giant contributor to instability in the region, but it’s hard to imagine a broader Middle East without them.”

Staff writer Joey Nowak contributed to this report.