Groups Rally For & Against Planned Arabic-Themed Public School (Dem: The School's A "Dangerous Idea"

MyFox New York ^ | 8/20-21/2007 | MyFoxNY.com

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

A planned Arabic-themed public school in Brooklyn has prompted polarized reactions. Critics warned Monday that students could be "indoctrinated" with radical Islamic beliefs and supporters called such statements "racist."

The Khalil Gibran International Academy has generated controversy almost from the start...

The schools first principal resigned after criticism over her affiliation with a group that sells tee-shirts with the word "intifada" on them. Debbie Almontaser called it quits after she failed to condemn the use of the highly charged word, an Arabic term for the Palestinian uprising against Israel...

New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn)said the school's children could be "indoctrinated " and warned in a statement that "establishment of an Arab school is a misguided and dangerous idea." He wrote a letter to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein to protest the school opening.

He released the following statement:

"[Almontaser] said that "intifada" means to 'shake off.' We know that 'intifada' means the killing of innocent men, women and children. And now the sponsors and organizational endorsers of the school advance a boycott of Israel and divestment. Is this what we want taught in our public schools? Is this how we want New York Children to be indoctrinated?

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

It is sad how liberals seem to use personal attacks - charges of racism - instead of dealing with the issue(s)at hand.

Racism? Where did Dov Hikind say that a or any race was superior to another - genetic or otherwise?

Perhaps someone should go down there and pass out dictionaries to the supporters?

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

What say you?

[JeeperFreeper]

This is one amazingly bad idea.

[ANGGAPO]

I say “Someone get a rope”.

[SpaceBar]

Cries of racism is the new j’accuse.

[Califreak]

“a theme-based school that teaches Arabic language and culture”

Why do we need to teach Arabic culture in AMERICA?

Assimilate or GTHOOMC!

[Zechariah_8_13]

I fully support this...

as soon as they approve the Christian and Jewish themed public schools.

(in other words, when hell freezes over...)

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

If liberals are for multiculturalism and diversity, shouldn’t they be for countries in the Middle East having schools that teach a wide range of American culture?

Shouldn’t they voice this?

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Bush says if we don't fight them over there, we will wind up fighting them here. Since he lets the borders leak like broken dams, we are going to fight them here and there.

Thanks a lot Jorge.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Tax-pay funding... for this?

Must be nice...

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Please don’t divert this thread onto a discussion about George Bush.

No need for any potential Bush Derangement Syndrome leaking into this thread.

[Califreak]

[Califreak]

[hsalaw]

Planned Arabic-Themed Public School

If the "Arabic-themed" parents want their children to learn about the "culture" of the hellholes they abandoned for the freedoms of the United States, they can teach them at home.

[Realism]

"There are more than 60 dual-language programs throughout the city already, featuring languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Haitian-Creole, and Russian."

Whats to say, at this point it would be racist not to allow it to open.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Yeah, and at those schools they had the intifada tee-shirts and, from the article, I quote, “the sponsors and organizational endorsers of the school advance a boycott of Israel and divestment.”

Sarcasm off.

Yeah, let’s have this school, too.

Sarcasm off, again.

[ishabibble]

Actually, this is 100% Bloomberg’s fault. He’s so multi and diversity and ethnic and a PANDERING WORM OF A SORRY EXCUSE FOR A MAN...oops! Slipped off the rails when thinking about a New York Jew embracing this obscenity.

[picard]

What about Irish and French Roman Catholic ‘themed’ schools?

How about Chinese and Buddhist ‘themed’ schools?

What about Druid or Southern Baptists ‘themed’ schools?

(the appeasement lunatics are running the asylum here)

[Realism]

I don’t like it either, but precedence has been set. DOE needs to keep a close eye on this one.

[Mikey_1962]

I memory serves (which it doesn’t sometimes)Khalil Gibran was a Christian.

So is this school Christian Arab or Muslim Arab?