Arabic and Hebrew Schools Open
Should Public Dollars Fund Schools That Could Be Seen As Religious?
Khalil Gibran International Academy
After many heated arguments and angry protests, the Khalil Gibran International Academy opened its doors in New York City. Is this school named after an Islamic terrorist? No, not at all. In fact, Khalil Gibran was a Christian Lebanese-born poet and author of the best selling book, The Prophet. He lived from 1883-1931. He moved from Lebanon to Boston with his family for a better life. Gibran was a promoter of peace and his book was translated into 20 languages.
Part of the controversy is the principal of the school, Debbie Almontaser. She has a son who served in the National Guard and is trying to encourage students to learn the Arabic language and culture but not the Islam religion. Many that fear the school may have trouble separating the two. Under pressure, Almontaser resigned and turned over the operation of the school to a new replacement, Danielle Salzberg. Salzberg is not Muslim and does not speak Arabic. For opponents, this is not enough.
Supervision
Melody Meyer, spokeswoman for the New York City school district, calls the Gibran Academy "a non-politically-motivated public school that teaches an academic college-prep curriculum and Arabic language." Meyer assures opponents that a team of advisers will supervise the school. She said, "The instant that a teacher or principal decides to promote political ideology over academic content, we’ll see that immediately. There has been a lot of speculation going on and misinformation on the basis of that speculation." [Andrew Trotter, Education Week, edweek.org, September 5, 2007]
Concerns about Radicalism
With September 11 being so close to the opening of schools in New York City, citizens are very sensitive about possibly having an "enemy within." The thought of a public school possibly teaching and promoting radical Islam fundamentalism is too much to bear.
While Christians are being denied access to prayer in public schools, Muslims are demanding it and getting it. If this can happen in California, citizens of New York City are afraid it can also happen there.
Ben Gamla Charter School in Florida
Ben Gamla Charter School opened on August 20, 2007 in Broward County, Florida. It bills itself as America’s first English-Hebrew charter school. Gamla was a 1st-century rabbi who started public education in Judea. The school will teach the Hebrew language daily. Peter Deutsch, a former Democratic congressman who represented Broward County, plans to open similar Hebrew public charter schools in major cities in the United States. [Andrew Trotter, Education Week, edweek.org, September 5, 2007]
So, many ask what is the difference between an Arabic school teaching students Arabic in New York and a Hebrew school teaching Hebrew in Florida? Christian schools have always been denied funding in the United States. However, other free nations fund these types of schools with tax dollars without much problem. This issue will continue to be controversial.
Related articles: Separation of Church and State, ACLU Protests Same-Sex Schools, Foreign Language Not Required
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
