I throw out a question to the forum re. Gibran School. Despite Gibran's Christianity, the school's focus will be on the mainstream Arab culture. How can this cultrue be studied in the absence of an immersion in Islam?
Islam is not tangential to Arab culture. And unlike studying the Middle Ages and engaging medieval Catholicism, Arab culture and Islam is a now thing, as intertwined as they were in the 11th century.
Being Jesuit educated, I was exhorted to view my Faith intellectually and objectively. I still found it hard to do; to separate the sacred from the profane. I can't imagine this being done successfully in this school. Will non Muslims be assigned to delve into the mysteries of Islam with Islamic students, and will Islamic students and parents accept them doing so? And does all this walk the line of separation or cross it?
This is an interesting issue. I know that Mrs. Almantasar is a leader in her community and is willing to bridge differences (she gave the Rosh HaShana sermon at my synagogue a few years ago). From my experiences as a student I see this as a great mainstream alternative to the path that most of my Muslim friends took after elementary school, going to fundamentalist Muslim private schools. I wrote a post on this over at the NYC Students Blog. check it out
Your position is well taken, but the Gibran school is to engage the students in Arabic culture not simply the language. Arabic culture has been and is uniquely intertwined with Islam for 1300 years.
The students who attend the Islamic schools do so to immerse themselves in their Faith. A public school cannot, in this society, provide for anything close to a similar experience. As a simple matter, I will not place any Christmas decorations on my bulletin boards because what I am permitted to present has little to do with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. And i am not permiited to display those aspects of the celebration that are part of my Faith. Nor should I be. That is not the role of a public school.
Our schools are not Christian or Jewish or Buddhist. They are neutral in the matter of faith. Can the same be true of a school that plans to celebrate a culture which cannot be separated from the Faith its people share? I think not, and if an effort is made to celebrate the Arab without Islam, it will be a fool's errand indeed. Not to mention a waste of time, energy and resources.
Great post!
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.
Sam:
Can you enlighten us by giving the meaning of the T-shirt that included the word "NYC" (New York City)?
It was the addition of our city that caused the uproar.
I can try
You have this Organization of Arabic Women AWAAM (I think they have a website) trying to make a point about how Arabic women have been oppressed in NYC and they should shake off this oppression.
Having some background and some friends in school and outside of school that are Arabic, I can see the need for such a statement. To simplify, Arabic culture is very strict and conservative with women. These women go through a lot to exist in their Arabic or Muslim culture. It is difficult to be a successful woman in NYC while coming from an Arabic or Muslim background. Their cultural and conservative values clash with NY city's liberal values. Also the attacks of 9/11, the war in Iraq, and the constant problems in the middle east do not help their position in society. I know some very smart women that graduated with top grades from NY city University that can't find decent jobs. Women that choose to wear a head cover or identify themselves as Muslim or Arab have a much tougher time of landing a real job. Many of them are stuck working as cashiers at Dunkin Donuts or other places.
To summarize, these women have to shake oppression from their conservative origin and the racist community they live with in NYC.
This word also has other meanings. If a Palestinian Arab saw the T-shirt, he would be upset because it minimizes their struggle against more serious oppression. If an Israeli sees the T-shirt he will think that these people want to riot on NYC streets.
You see, this T-shirt can be interpreted in different ways depending on your perspective and knowledge of the language and Arabic culture and history. You can't just condemn a word and try to erase it from a t-shirt or ban it in schools, because it doesn't fit your perspective or political views.
Communities in Support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy
Received this email for those interested
A COMMUNITY BUILDING EVENT
Monday, August 19, 6pm
Tweed Courthouse
52 Chambers Street
Communities in Support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy
As New Yorkers and others in support of quality public education for all of our communities, we stand in solidarity with the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which has sustained hateful and false attacks by anti-Arab media and extremists. In the post-9/11 world, a school educating our children about Arab history, culture, and language is not only crucial for the next generation to become informed leaders for positive change in our communities; it is also an extraordinary place of hope for peace, understanding, and justice for our embattled world. We regret that Debbie Almontaser was pressured to resign and applaud her work to establish this school and promote intercultural exchange in this diverse global city.�
Those who seek to equate the study of Arabic language, culture, and history with religious fanaticism and violence are irresponsibly aggravating a present moment of hysteria against Arab and Muslim communities, and are using this moment to promote hatred in a time of war. We urge our public officials to reject these racist and inaccurate attacks, and continue to work towards building a lasting educational institution that promises to bring our communities together, rather than divide and pit them against each other. We call on all communities who want to see peace on our streets and in our world to stand with us in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy.
Sponsors Sign on!
AWAAM: Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media
Brown Memorial Church
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
Arab Resource and Organizing Center, San Francisco, CA �
Endorsers Sign on!
Robert Patterson, Theatre Professional and Community Organizer
* * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * *
�INTIFADA NYC� T-SHIRTS: �
AWAAM YOUTH ORGANIZATION RESPONDS �
Teenagers and Volunteers Respond to Misinformed Media Spin �
New York, NY, August 8, 2007-- A group of New York teenagers are shocked to find themselves at the receiving end of attacks by anti-Arab bloggers and press who are using a t-shirt to try to aggravate hysteria against Arab and Muslim communities. These hateful attacks are in response to the opening of an Arabic language public school in Brooklyn this September. In addition to being incorrectly labeled a "Muslim group" and "pro-violence" in the mainstream press, the youth organization has sustained an illegal attack by hackers on its website.�
AWAAM: Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media members are now speaking out to address reports about a t-shirt they produced bearing the slogan, �Intifada NYC,� displayed at an Arab heritage festival last month. AWAAM does not have its own office space and runs one of its youth programs out of the office space of Saba: The Association of Yemeni Americans, where the school�s principal is a board member. Although AWAAM is not associated with the school, they are sustaining an onslaught of attacks aimed toward the school.
As for the meaning of the term, �Intifada NYC,� AWAAM�s official statement is:
Intifada is a word that literally means "shaking off." As AWAAM provides young women with opportunities to become active as community organizers and media producers, �Intifada NYC� is a call for empowerment, service, civic participation and critical thinking in our communities: a �shaking off� of discrimination and prejudice and an embracing of our roles as producers rather than simply objects of the mass media and public discourse.
Since its inception 4 years ago, AWAAM has run programs and campaigns for and by young women and girls. By providing training and experience in media production, campaign building, public speaking and collective decision-making the organization provides young women of color with the skills necessary to take leadership in their communities.�
�This controversy has really affected the way we work,� says AWAAM video mentor, Devorah Hill. �We were planning to launch a video blog next week premiering a piece about the interface between our youth and pop culture, but now it looks like it will be just audio; we�re worried that our youth producers might be harassed. We�ve also held off on publicizing upcoming events on our website because we don�t want disruptors or unfriendly press there.��
�I am in AWAAM to learn about being active in the media,� said a 16 year-old youth video producer, �The fact that a t-shirt is being portrayed as a terrorist uprising makes me scared about what else could be used against us.�
"As the present controversy makes clear, we are either portrayed as religious fanatics or, at the other extreme, we are viewed as voiceless women,� said AWAAM founding director, Mona Eldahry. �Who should have the right to define our words and tell us that our call for community empowerment is actually a call for terrorism?��
###
Video footage & interviews with members of AWAAM and representatives of affiliated organizations available Thursday, 8/9.
One question that has nothing to do with characterizing this school as a test tube for religious fanaticism. How do we immerse students in Arab culture and history without immersing them in Islam? Arab culture sans Islam is an egg cream without Fox's U Bet syrup.
If we were to have a school featuring Greek Culture would we include the teachings and dogma of the Orthodox Church. If we did not would the study of that culture be true and complete? I think not.
As a simple matter of fact I cannot place a symbol of the reason there is a Christmas in my classroom, we even refer to the time off as winter recess. How can Islam be treated differently? And to not include Islam in the study invalidates any attempt to understand Arab culture. This school, as constructed, is an effort at squaring the circle. End the effort now.
I don't see where you getting the idea of Islam being taught in this school(besides FOX and the New York Post)???
It is just a lot of hysteria and prejudice.
This is fundamental. Arab culture, which the mission of this school says will be taught, is impossible to separate from Islam. There is not a separation of the sacred and profane in Arab culture.
Other Islamic peoples have an adaption of Islam to their culture, Indonesians for one, but for the Arabs, Levant and Coptic Christians aside, Islam transcends everyday life in a way that is not duplicated in other Faiths. If you want to know the Arab you must know Islam. See The History of the Arab Peoples.
Also I take exception to your post categorizing me as a bigot. My statement expressed the quite important concept of separation of Church and state in the classroom in the context that religion is not taught or celebrated. You chose not to address that point of view, but to disparage what you feel are my reading and viewing habits. You also seem to feel that anyone who reads the Post or watches FOX harbors predjudicial tendencies.
I believe the concept of teaching Arabic as a language is valuable and should be investigated. I feel that a specific school aimed at immersing the student in Arab, Greek, Chinese, or Klingnon culture is wrongheaded. As a Social Studies teacher I thought I was tasked for that job. I even have curricula to implement the study of Human Civilization. Let me and my colleagues do our jobs without so called immersion schools which will lead to cultural isolation.
I am gad you agree that there are Arabs that are not Muslims. It seems with your background I should not have to explain any further.
Just a few small notes.
It is difficult to teach Arabic without mentioning something about Islam. Islam is another required topic in your social studies class. I am sure you try to cover it in a neutral manner and so will the teachers at this school.
I don't think this school was built for social isolation. It was built to immerse non Arabic students in the culture and the language. Sure it will be nice for these Arabic American students to get better command of both languages, but thats all that people complaining can see.
They don't see that the other half of the school will gain valuable skills in today's global market.
One last thing, with all respect to my social studies teachers. Not all of them are qualified to produce students that can understand the complex issues in the Middle East and Arabic culture. I am sure you know some colleagues that love spend a month on the holocaust and one week on Islam and the Middle East.
Commenting by HaloScan
