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April 30, 2008
Persecution of Arabic-Language Instruction Reexamined
The New York Times has published an extensive feature revisiting the unfortunate public battle that emerged last summer over the opening of a charter school offering Arabic language and cultural instruction. As we wrote in September, while 67 other schools in New York City were earning applause for dual-language instruction, the announcement of the Khalil Gibran International Academy resulted in a right-wing backlash that seemed to presume Arab American culture to be of a piece with international terrorism. In the end, a handful of fringe websites and third-string commentators, with promotion by two conservative newspapers, managed to force the resignation of the respected founding principal and to tarnish the new school, essentially sabotaging the first year of the educational effort.
Daniel Pipes led the charge against the school and its architect, Debbie Almontaser. He described to the Times how he sees openly Muslim Americans as posing a new threat, not of violence or law-breaking but of cultural change:
The conflict tapped into a well of post-9/11 anxieties. But Ms. Almontaser’s downfall was not merely the result of a spontaneous outcry by concerned parents and neighborhood activists. It was also the work of a growing and organized movement to stop Muslim citizens who are seeking an expanded role in American public life. The fight against the school, participants in the effort say, was only an early skirmish in a broader, national struggle.
“It’s a battle that’s really just begun,” said Daniel Pipes, who directs a conservative research group, the Middle East Forum, and helped lead the charge against Ms. Almontaser and the school.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, critics of radical Islam focused largely on terrorism, scrutinizing Muslim-American charities or asserting links between Muslim organizations and violent groups like Hamas. But as the authorities have stepped up the war on terror, those critics have shifted their gaze to a new frontier, what they describe as law-abiding Muslim-Americans who are imposing their religious values in the public domain.
Mr. Pipes and others reel off a list of examples: Muslim cabdrivers in Minneapolis who have refused to take passengers carrying liquor; municipal pools and a gym at Harvard that have adopted female-only hours to accommodate Muslim women; candidates for office who are suspected of supporting political Islam; and banks that are offering financial products compliant with sharia, the Islamic code of law.
The danger, Mr. Pipes says, is that the United States stands to become another England or France, a place where Muslims are balkanized and ultimately threaten to impose sharia.
“It is hard to see how violence, how terrorism will lead to the implementation of sharia,” Mr. Pipes said. “It is much easier to see how, working through the system — the school system, the media, the religious organizations, the government, businesses and the like — you can promote radical Islam.”
Almontaser is suing the city for forcing her resignation, but it’s remarkable that such a small group of people—led by activists like Pipes and Aryeh Spero, who are as a rule ignored—could intimidate New York City, armed only with overactive imaginations and a paranoid suspicion of Muslims.
Posted by Ezra at 12:18 PM | Permalink
September 11, 2007
Religious Right Warns English-Arabic School 'Incubator' for Terrorists
“Dual-language classes give U.S. an edge,” read the headline of an AP story printed last Tuesday in the right-wing Washington Times, lauding New York City’s 67 schools that offer instruction in English plus immersion in a foreign language to student bodies comprised of about half native English speakers and half children with a background in the other language. The two-way immersion approach has not been without pedagogical controversy, but programs in French, Spanish, Chinese, Creole, and other languages have not produced widespread criticism. That changed with the proposal of a dual-language program for Arabic.
The Kahlil Gibran International Academy opened last week following months of backlash from commentators such as Daniel Pipes, founder of the Middle East Forum and a columnist for the conservative New York Sun. A New York City-based group called Stop the Madrassa formed and some Religious Right groups joined in, warning that the school would become a training ground for Islamist extremism.
“Step Aside, English-Speaking Christians,” warned Rod Parsley’s Center for Moral Clarity, claiming the school will “indoctrinate young people in customs of a racist, sexist and intolerant culture.” The Catholic League held a rally to protest the school, and joined Stop the Madrassa to form a group to counter the teaching of “Islamic culture.” And the Thomas More Law Center’s Richard Thompson declared that the school “is a Trojan horse” for “homegrown terrorists”:
This proposed public school is nothing more than an incubator for the radicalization that leads to terrorism … Rather than use the public school system to assimilate Muslims and other immigrants into American culture, New York City is doing everything it can to keep them isolated – a target rich environment for recruiting potential new homegrown terrorists and a recipe for a future 911 disaster, according to my read of the NYPD Report.
As uncomfortable as it makes one feel, we must understand that the political goal of radical Islam is to destroy our Judeo-Christian culture. And the KGIA is a Trojan Horse New York City is building for radical Islam with taxpayer money.
Problems caused by the limited number of Arabic-speaking Americans in Iraq have been widely reported. That may be why the federal government offers funding for K-12 instruction in Arabic, Chinese, and other critical foreign languages. The Gibran Academy's curriculum, posted online, shows standard social studies and math along with Arabic language instruction. Nevertheless, opponents remain committed to their apprehensions: “The burden to prove that it's not a madrassa is on them…” as one member of Stop the Madrassa said.
Posted by Ezra at 3:20 PM | Permalink
May 1, 2007
Phony 'Official' Group Tries to Co-Opt National Day of Prayer
Since Truman, U.S. presidents have issued annual proclamations declaring a non-sectarian National Day of Prayer, and this year is no different. What has changed in recent years is the rise in influence of a sectarian group that has appointed itself the “official” organizer of the occasion. The National Day of Prayer Task Force, headed by James Dobson’s wife Shirley and based out of Focus on the Family offices in Colorado, admits that its purpose is “organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values” – in particular, evangelical Christianity based on Biblical inerrancy and fighting the “cultural war” – but it acts like it’s a federal agency and the arbiter of the holiday itself.
This past week, prior to New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s signing of a state proclamation on the day of prayer, Dobson issued an attack on his radio program. Focus’s Citizenlink web site published this indignant article on Friday accusing Spitzer of purposefully “insult[ing] and offend[ing] millions” of “people of faith”:
We want to make you aware of a slap in the face the governor of New York has delivered to people of faith all across the country.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer – who just a few days ago promised to sign a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in his state, should one land on his desk – apparently has refused to sign a proclamation supporting Thursday’s observance of the National Day of Prayer. The governors of the other 49 states have already issued such proclamations, acknowledging the need for America to unite in prayer.
Won’t you take a minute or two – no matter what state you live in – to let Gov. Spitzer know what you think about his refusal to acknowledge the National Day of Prayer? Remind him that this country was founded as a Christian nation – and he will insult and offend millions if he continues down the path he is on.
Focus also asserted that “the governor of New York, which was the target of the vicious and unprovoked attacks on 9/11, does not believe the people of his state need divine guidance and protection.” After Spitzer signed the proclamation, Citizenlink replaced the article with a declaration of victory, asserting that Spitzer “changed his mind … after Dr. James Dobson alerted the nation through his Focus on the Family broadcast.”
However, the only evidence Focus has provided that Spitzer had decided not to issue a proclamation is that his office didn’t return phone calls from the National Day of Prayer Task Force. From Citizenlink:
Susan Castilla, the New York coordinator for NDP [sic], said she was put off time and time again by the governor’s staff.
“It seemed the National Day of Prayer was on the back burner,” she said. “We don’t get phone calls returned. You never hear back. This has kind of been a constant thing.”
Castilla is actually the state coordinator for the NDP Task Force, not for the federal observance itself. Apparently, the NDP Task Force expects state governors to follow its commands, having set a deadline:
Jean Truty, who works for the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said a letter requesting a proclamation was mailed to Spitzer in January. The letter asked for a response by April 1.
Notably, the proclamation that was issued today is dated April 25. Christine Anderson, press secretary for Spitzer, said delays can happen in paperwork. “He always intended to sign it,” she said.
Why is it so important to Focus on the Family that the NDP Task Force be presumed to be an “official” body? A clue might be found in the group’s prayer guide, which describes the media as “hostile to those who voice their belief in Christ” and schools as “promoting a radical social agenda” including “Condom distribution, and a refusal to acknowledge God.” By co-opting the observance, the NDP Task Force isn’t just promoting prayer – it’s promoting the talking points of the Religious Right.
Posted by Ezra at 5:38 PM | Permalink
February 22, 2007
College Republicans Play 'Find the Illegal Immigrant' Game
At NYU.
Posted by Ezra at 11:59 PM | Permalink
January 10, 2007
Judicial Watch Targets Chicago over Immigration Enforcement
Group wants to make local police enforce federal violations. Also eyeing localities in California, New York, and Texas.
Posted by Ezra at 6:03 PM | Permalink
October 30, 2006
Christian Coalition Unveils Voter Guides
For 43 states.
Posted by Ezra at 11:59 PM | Permalink
October 23, 2006
'Activist Judges' Blamed for Elected Legislature's Laws
In an e-mail to supporters, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins complained about a court decision in New York that purportedly requires certain religious employers to cover contraception in their health insurance plans. Writes Perkins:
This should serve as a serious warning to religious groups that the court is intent on spreading its gospel of secularism to faith-based organizations at all costs. This decision is less about birth control and more about the kind of protection we need from activist judges.
What this dire warning does not mention is that it was the elected legislature that passed this regulation into law – nor does it mention the religious exemption, which shields employers that hire and serve primarily members of the same faith. (The case affects more secular enterprises that some churches are involved in, such as hospitals.)
Posted by Ezra at 6:11 PM | Permalink
October 6, 2006
O'Reilly Rails Against 'Fascist Tactics' of Students Protesting Minutemen at Columbia U.
“Fanatical secular progressives,” he says, are behind brawl at Columbia University, aka “University of Havana, North.” Transcript. Video: Broadband or Dial-Up.
Posted by Ezra at 11:59 PM | Permalink
September 20, 2006
Long Island County Passes Anti-Immigrant Crackdown
Suffolk County, NY (pop. 1.5 million) bill, likely to be signed, targets businesses.
Posted by Ezra at 5:57 PM | Permalink
September 11, 2006
Family Research Council and Alliance Defense Fund Push Marriage Lawsuits
Posted by Ezra at 5:58 PM | Permalink
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