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Including Arabic in the curriculum is a threat
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United States :
# NY city’s first Arabic-language school was branded as threat that was thought by its principal as an institution for “peace and hope.”
# Muslim leaders, academics and others see the drive against the school as the latest in a series of discriminatory attacks intended to distort the truth and play on Americans’ fear of terrorism.
# The experts fear that the United States stands to become another England or France, a place where Muslims are balkanized and ultimately threaten to impose Sharia.
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Very well said Aneez
fighting the war on terror...i think there are alternatives and it is interesting though that no one seems to be talking about any. Thanks to the Western media that has induced the threat to the level that sees no looking back with targeting all that is related to the Islam and Muslims. This is a dangerous prerogative that will only make the enemy more stronger.
Maybe if we just try a little more kindness and understanding, this will all work out.
fighting the war on terror...i think there are alternatives and it is interesting though that no one seems to be talking about any. Thanks to the Western media that has induced the threat to the level that sees no looking back with targeting all that is related to the Islam and Muslims. This is a dangerous prerogative that will only make the enemy more stronger.
Maybe if we just try a little more kindness and understanding, this will all work out.
(Global Perspectives)
This if not a threat is no less than poking the hornets' nest. To teach Arabic in US would mean bringing all the tradition and culture of the Islam to the US. I don’t approve this to happen in US. There are examples in hundreds if not thousands of people being mind-washed by the Islamic teachings (read Arabic) to be used against their own nations. These schools (read madrasas) are very likely to violate the thin line called (teaching) ethics…obviously that’s not a word they really know has any meaning in education.
(Local Perspectives)
No problem in it at all. USA is a country with the Amendment Freedom of Religion. Muslims living in USA should have right to open Arabic school. There shouldn't be problem with anyone's religion or race. I am Christian boy and not originally from USA but I never faced any problem. Muslim youths have the right to learn Arabic and what is wrong in it?
(Local Perspectives)
I am not able to see what is so wrong about learning the Arabic language. Can anybody tell me what is the difference between learning Aramaic, Urdu, German, French or Hindi? Now, don't link language with terrorism, it shows intellectual bankruptcy of western media....
(Global Perspectives)
The United states is the country with great diversity and a nation where people belong to different cultures live together. Whoever is opening this school or opened this school is just attempting to remove the ignorance and stereotypes applied to the people of Middle Eastern region. It is a good effort to educate US citizens about middle east region. The school has the right to teach and speak in Arabic.
(Global Perspectives)
Yes, there is no problem in opening such schools. When we have Christian schools, Catholic schools and all other religious academies or schools across the country, what is problematic in the Arabic school? We should understand the difference between tolerance and fear and the language schools are for teaching tolerance.
(Local Perspectives)
As I came to know after reading the report that the school has a dual-language program and it uses Arabic as a second language. There is difference between Dual language program and Bi-lingual programs. Bilingual programs are for those people who don't speak English. Dual Language Programs are for English Speakers to know other language and it always helps in improving the academic performance of the student. English should be the primary language in school but there should be a provision of learning other language in the schools.
(Local Perspectives)
I was a student of Arabic when I was in public high school but it was not mandatory but optional class. It helped me a lot and helps us to understand the culture and language of the countries where the US administration has sent troops to fight.
(Local Perspectives)
Mind you, this is not Islamic school or Muslim School, it is the Arabic school and people of any country and religion can learn the language Arabic and know the Arabic culture. The fact that several Muslim countries speak Arabic is just a side note.
(Global Perspectives)
Americans should learn Arabic to make its army and intelligence strong in the War on Terror. The US intelligence sits for months to translate Arabic transcripts in English to know the plans of terrorists, who generally use Arabic language.
(Global Perspectives)
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On the contrary, it can only help understand that language better, so that interpretation becomes more easy.
If we talk about the broader picture, there is a valid point raised by Daniel Pipes, but then again, condemning the Khalil Gibran International Academy would serve no purpose at all.
The experts’ (read: Mr Daniel Pipes and Jeffrey Wiesenfeld) fear is justified to some extent, because England and France do present a not-so-adorable picture (related to the Balkanization of Muslims) to an average American. But, when these experts coin new terms like ’Lawful Islamists’ or ’Soft Jihad’ to support their emotions, they themselves are putting a big question tag on the authenticity of their expertise.
A true expert would never resort to such ’words’ which challenge the validity of their own intellect. As I said earlier, introduction or inclusion of a language helps understand that language better; and therefore, there are less chances of any such blunders by anyone, whether unintentional or pre-planned.