Alicia Colon, a columnist for The New York Sun, wrote that Osama bin Laden must have been “delighted� to hear the news of the school. “New York City, the site of the worst terrorist attack in our history, is bowing down in homage to accommodate and perhaps groom future radicals,� she said. “I say break out the torches and surround City Hall to stop this monstrosity.�
Then Fox decided to cover the story, with predictable results.No matter that the school is open to students from all backgrounds, and that it will teach the standard state curriculum. Its principle Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim woman long involved in inter-faith efforts, apparently has an “Islamist agenda.” And no mattter that almost everyone in the US government agrees we are in dire need of more Arabic speakers–apparently it’s OK to promote Americans speaking Arabic; but Arabs (Arab-Americans are still Arabs) speaking Arabic on U.S. soil can clearly be up to no good.All this I understand perfectly; what I can’t figure out is why the New York Times calls Daniel Pipes “the director of the Middle East Forum, a conservative research center that says its goal is to promote American interests in the region.” I don’t expect the Times to tell the truth (the Middle East Forum’s agenda is to smear real academics, spread racism against Arabs and Muslims, and blindly support Israe). But surely they could get a bit closer.
Thanks for the article. It reminds me of the many Madrassas founded in Mexico -and which are spreading to South America. Around 300 hundred or more Mayans in Chiapas, Mexico, have been converted to Islam. Hundreds of indigenous children are being educated in Islamic schools around the region… just wondering why are we so focused on the Madrassas in the US while paying so little attention to the spread of Islamic schools in Latin-American countries.
“have been converted to Islam”
Against their will, Ana?
What is your point?
test
Not against their will… most of these indigenous have been previously converted to Christianity and other religions. They have no problem on converting over and over again to different religions as long as they are convinced of a better future… They are an easy target for religions. In the case of Chiapas, Mexico, the ‘new Muslims’ belong to the Sunni, Murabitun sect, an offshoot of a Moroccan religious order. Actually there are Madrassas along the region imparting the Qur’an to children and adults.
I was just thinking about the meaning of Intifada, Madrasa, and Jihad. These are words that are thrown around by people that have no idea what they mean. They repeat them from negative Articles about Muslims and Arabs. Ms Al-Montaser was just instinctively trying to help people understand the real Arabic meaning of the word Intifada.
It is wrong to flat out condemn a word you don’t understand. Once you understand the meaning of the word then you can decide to condemn it. It is closed minded to interpret the Arabic language from the negative publicity it receives in the Media.
This incident only supports the need for an Arabic school that will help people understand the real meaning of these words that they hear in the media. It also highlighted the need for more people like Ms Al-Montaser that are willing to take risks and cross cultural barriers to build these important bridges.
It is a shame that she was crucified by the head of the United Federations of Teachers Union.
I THINK THE FEAR OF MUSLIMS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN AMERICA, UNTIL WE SEE SOME GOOD EXAMPLES OF WHAT IT IS TO BE A MUSLIM. WE SEE YOU (MUSLIMS) PROTESTING WHEN YOU ARE “OFFENDED” BUT NO PROTESTS WHEN YOUR FELLOW MUSLIMS ARE KILLING PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF ISLAM AND ALLAH. IT’S VERY CLEAR THAT ISLAM IS THE SOURCE OF ALL THE DEPRAVED AND IRRATIONAL VIOLENCE IN THE WORLD TODAY. THE SUDAN GENOCIDE, ISRAELI GENOCIDE IF YOU COULD, BESLAN RUSSIA KILLING CHILDREN, 911, I CAN GO ON AND ON. YOUR CULTURE IS DISFUNCTIONAL,IF IT WASN’T FOR OIL YOU WOULD ALL BE BEGGARS. THERE IS NOTHING PEACEFUL ABOUT ISLAM. YOU FOLLOW MOHOMMAD AS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A MAN,BUT HE WAS A PSYCHO MURDERER THAT IS WHY HIS FOLLOWERS ARE. AMERICANS ARE NICE PEOPLE BUT WE WON’T PUT UP WITH YOUR CRAP FOR LONG.