Please join the Simon Wiesenthal Center in urging the United States not to grant a visa to the former Iranian President, Mohammad Khatami, who has been invited to speak at the prestigious Washington National Cathedral.

Granting former President Khatami a visa at this time, coming on the heels of both Iran’s proxy war in Lebanon and it’s refusal to drop its nuclearization program will be viewed by the mullahs as a reward for their policy of confrontation and hatred toward the United States and her allies.

Then-Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (R) meets with Hezbollah leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, 2003 in Beirut, Lebanon.

There are those who argue that Mr. Khatami is a moderate, but when he said in February 2005, “…if you delve a little deeper and exchange the words of Bush and bin Laden, you will be unable to distinguish between the two,” - those are not the words of a moderate.

When he called Israel, “A parasite in the heart of the Muslim world,” - it was not a voice of moderation speaking.

Khatami has been invited to speak on his “Dialogue of Civilizations” initiative and on his views of the role of the three Abrahamic faiths. Yet, as far as the Jewish people are concerned, he has always denied the validity and centrality of Israel to Judaism, a fact embraced by the overwhelming majority of world Jewry.

So, with whom is he dialoguing?

We know that some argue that it is in the best interest of the United States to open a dialogue with Iran. However, that regime’s refusal to compromise and its continued sponsorship of international terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas are proof positive that now is not the time.

Please use this link to urge United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to grant President Khatami a visa.

The Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the National Cathedral, said, "It will be an honor for the cathedral to provide a platform for President Khatami. President Khatami’s commitment to a dialogue between civilizations and cultures is an important component in the peace process. This is much needed in the world today.”