Islamists will not take no for an answer. They were voted down on one in school in New York (park Slope) and so they move on to to another location. The "specialized language school" canard is fatuous. Steyn explained the real implications of an "Arabic school and the Arabic language" here in my interview with him here,
" it shows how we mischaracterized, we willfully misunderstand Islam. Yes, on the face of it yes Arabic is a language in a sense there is would be no difference between opening a foreign language school - a Spanish language school or a french language school - but in fact Arabic is more than a language. It is explicated the language of Islam so in that sense it is part of the Islamic religious imperial project. Radical Islam advances through the Arabic language. And you go all kinds of places that aren't in the Arab world now like Pakistan, Indonesia, Central Asia, the Balk ins, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada and the United States and you will here those Imams preaching in Arabic. Arabic is not just another language like French or Italian, it is the spearhead of an idea logical project that is deeply opposed to the United States.
This from a attendee to the meeting. Hat ttp Pamela
These people (the madrassa) is desperate to get into the school system. The Bd. of Ed has sold their soul to Islam for money.
There is to be another meeting but according to what some of the parents were saying, it's a done deal.
We need to be present at this next one like the "pinkos:.
Americans don't understand Islam. There were muslim women sitting in the back and huddling together as I spoke. This is it for now. "
"Specialized language schools" Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott
BY MATTHEW CHAYES - Special to the Sun May 15, 2007
Parents of children who attend two Boerum Hill schools, which the city has proposed share space with a new Arabic culture public school, told officials last night that they don't trust the Department of Education to keep its promises to improve the school building to accommodate the extra students.
The city already abandoned initial plans to put the Khalil Gibran International Academy, named for a Lebanese philosopher, at P.S. 282, a Park Slope elementary school, after parents there protested that their building is already overcrowded.
Officials heard similar complaints from parents at the new location in Boerum Hill, where the Brooklyn High School of the Arts and a middle school, the Math and Science Exploratory School, share a campus.
The head of the education department's new schools office, Garth Harries, promised that the Arabic school would be moved out after two years, that the entire campus would receive added security, and that "the highest levels" at City Hall would make sure the promised building construction is completed.
If parents had philosophical misgivings about the new school's Arab-culture curriculum, few criticized it publicly for its core mission at last night's emergency meeting.
A few did oppose it on philosophical grounds.
The Arabic school's principal, Debbie Almontaser, rose to assure the crowd that her public school would teach Arabic as well as prepare students for college by teaching math, reading, science, and art.
The mayor's top education aide, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, said he found it "unfortunate that this school is being singled out," noting that there are dozens of other specialized language schools in the city.
Over at The Militant Islam Monitor here:
DEBBIE ALMONTASER, slated to be the principal of the new school:
- Describes herself as becoming an "activist" after 9/11 [numerous clips below]
- "Her next goal: to have schools recognize Muslim holidays, as they already do Christian and Jewish ones" [NPR Morning Edition, July 13, 2006, transcript below]
- Has called herself a "convert" to Islam, although she was born Muslim ["Finding my religion," Colorlines Magazine, March 22, 2005]
- Regarding the spring 2006 trial of the Herald Square bomb plotter, the NY
Times reported:
- On May 12, in the middle of the trial of Mr. Siraj, Mr. Kelly met with 150 Muslims at a youth center in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He showed them a 25-minute video that the Police Department created to train new officers to be sensitive toward Arabs and Muslims. He said he was there to hear their "concerns about issues of public safety," according to a transcript of his speech. Only after several questions did anyone mention the trial. Debbie Almontaser, a board member of a Muslim women's organization, told Mr. Kelly that she was saddened that the police had resorted to "F.B.I. tactics," and that she thought this was polarizing the Muslim community. Applause swept the room. [Andrea Elliott, "Undercover Work Deepens Police-Muslim Tensions," NY Times, May 27, 2006]
*Mrs. Almontaser is affiliated with the following organizations:
- Women in Islam: New York NY
- Women In Islam Inc "is a non-profit educational, advocacy organization focused on human rights and social justice"
- The organization honored Amina McCloud, Professor of
Religious Studies, DePaul University, in 2005: Dr. Betty Shabazz Award
- McCloud was a signatory to letter criticizing US for revoking Tariq Ramadan's visa
- She has written positively of Louis Farrakhan and Richard Carlson, "The Gray Lady Whitewashes Black Muslims, FPM, Apr 8, 2004
- She has "said the media bias was part of a larger atmosphere in the United States that encourages discrimination against Muslims. ‘For the first time the [U.S.] government has given a license to people to attack others based on their religion,' she said." "Islamic Talk Finds a Spot on the Radio Dial," Chicago Tribune, Oct 3, 2004.
- Co-sponsor of forum with CAIR-NY, Dec 15, 2005: The Aftermath of Katrina: "Hurricane Katrina reawakened the American public to the existence of race and class subjugation in the United States through the shocking realization that there was simply no evacuation plan for poor Black residents of New Orleans."
- Justice for Detainees: Brooklyn, NY
- ASMA Society (American Society for Muslim Advancement)
- Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan
- "FOX also queried Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which describes itself as an organization dedicated to creating bridges between the American public and American Muslims. Feisal described the violent images and indoctrination as ‘political,' rather than religious. Feisal also likened the statements by radical Muslims in the FOX documentary to outrageous statements he says are made by some Christians and Jews. "There is something in the human psychology which — which believes in the superiority of its own individual faith. And wants to impose it on everybody else. There are those who are Christians who are like this. There are those who are Muslims who are like this." Andrew Cochran, "Steven Emerson & Walid Phares Featured in New Documentary on Radical Islam," The Counterterrorism Blog, Feb 2, 2007,
- Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan
- John S. Bennett, Cofounder of the Cordoba Initiative and former mayor of Aspen, CO.
- Brooklyn Bridges: Brooklyn, NY (co-founder)
- Yemeni-American Association: Brooklyn, NY) (officer)
A New School Plans to Teach Half of Classes Using Arabic
Related:Atlas Shrugs: NYC To Open Arabic Public School
Atlas Shrugs: STEYN on NY Arabic Public School
Allah Snackbar! NY Public School Madrassa Defeated
IT'S ALIVE! NY Public School Madrassa
UPDATE: This proposed Islamic school will be Park Slope Brooklyn. I know the Slope cold. I lived in Park Slope right out of school. A gorgeous brownstone community 5 minutes from the Manhattan bridge. I loved Park Slope and considered raising my family there. It is inconceivable to me that this submission to Islam could be happening here (it ain't Dearbornistan.) Here is one parent's account who was at that meeting (and who I know);
Last Friday afternoon I received an email from my 7th grader's school informing parents of an emergency PA meeting to be held on Monday evening (last night). The board of ed, with the tacit approval of the school's administration and executive board, had made plans to move the new Khalil Gibran Islamic Academy (or Kagia as the board of ed shorthand has it) into my son's school in September. The plans call for the academy to be housed there for two years and then move into permanent quarters. I was completely blindsided by this as were most of the parents. My son's school is MS 447 (also known as the Math and Science Exploratory School) in Boerum Hill/ Cobble Hill. It's one of the more successful public middle schools in the district with a competitive application process. It draws heavily from the Brooklyn brownstone neighborhoods with many of the kids coming from Park Slope.
I went to the meeting last night, armed with copies of Daniel Pipes' article "A Madrasa Grows in Brooklyn" which I distributed. The meeting was quite raucous. Deputy Mayor Dennis Wolcott was there, along with Garth Harries from the Board of Ed, along with City Councilman David Yassky. And the media was there in force as well. I was interviewed by someone from The NY Sun and he took my phone number. Haven't heard from him and don't know if I'm quoted today since I haven't seen the paper yet. The format was to have all the politicians, board of ed folks and school administrators speak and then take questions. Most importantly, Debbie Almontaser, the principal of Kagia, spoke. She started her presentation by reading an email she had received from a soldier completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. The email praised her vision and courage, testified as the to necessity of such a school, and ended up with the soldier saying that when he and his Syrian wife returned to Brooklyn in the fall he hoped to be involved with the school in some capacity, adding that his experience as a soldier would give extra credence to what he had to say. Almontaser went on to describe her vision for the school, which would be to produce "global citizens" who can speak Arabic and understand Arabic and Islamic culture. She repeatedly came back to the "global citizens" concept and when several parents protested and said why not American citizens (and I was one of those parents) she completely ignored the question.
Sentiment was strongly against the school but for reasons of space and resources only. In fact, most of the parents (I'd estimate about 75-80%) and all of the school staff made it clear that they had no problems whatsoever with the curriculum or concept of Kagia but simply felt it would lead to overcrowding, security issues, etc. A few brave souls (me being one of them) did raise some objections beyond logistics. One woman asked if the school would teach sharia law or the US Constitution. She wasn't exactly booed but parents expressed their disapproval. Almontaser refused to answer the question. I asked if maps of the middle east would include Israel. She refused to answer in the public forum but when I approached her after the meeting ended she said yes, that maps would include Israel. One parent objected to the whole global citizen concept and said he thought schools should be producing American citizens. But for the most part we were voices crying in the wilderness. Deputy Mayor Wolcott stepped in at one point to say that he was very uncomfortable with some of the objections (the clear implication being that they were racist and discriminatory) and he warned people to be careful.
There will be another meeting next week. I believe that parents will fight this but only on the grounds stated above - but whatever works, I suppose. This school and Brownstone Brooklyn are really moonbat central. Perhaps more people object to the concept of Kagia but just weren't comfortable saying so in public.
