Teaching Tact

Apparently Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki left a dinner reception hosted by the Egyptian foreign minister early. His office claimed that he was offended by a "revealing" dress worn by a performer. U.S. Secretary of State Rice had planned on approaching the Iranian foreign minister at this dinner.

The New York Times quotes Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman as saying “I’m not sure which woman he was afraid of, the one in the red dress or the secretary of state,” he said.

Is this an appropriate qustion to ask? I'm a right wing supporter of Israel, but I also believe that all religions deserve respect. Religious views that do not incite violence also deserve to be respected. The Iranian foreign minister left the dinner. He did not cause an uproar or anything else. Should a state department spokesman have asked who he was "afraid of?"

What do your students think of this comment?


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