New York, NY —

With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad set to arrive in New York Sunday afternoon for this week's opening of the United Nations General Assembly session, some civic and religious leaders plan to demonstrate today outside Columbia University, where Ahmadinejad is scheduled to speak Monday.

REPORTER: Critics worry that the Iranian president will use the platform to make more threats against Israel and continue to question whether the Holocaust occurred. Still, New Yorker Elizabeth Webb says Ahmadinejad should be allowed to speak his mind.

WEBB: It's very important to hear opposing viewpoints. So even if he says something that may offend me or offend people I know, it's important that we hear that so we can discuss it and debate it.

REPORTER: The Iranian president will take questions from students, faculty and invited guests as part of the annual World Leaders' Forum at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. University president Lee Bollinger says he'll introduce Ahmadinejad with a pointed critique of the Iranian leader's views and the Islamic Republic's human rights record.