By Seth Wessler
http://colorlines.com/article.php?ID=456
Sixth-grade students at the newly opened Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn were probably surprised last year when they opened their Arabic books to find photographs cut from the pages. "We cut pictures of mosques out of the Arabic books," said Hassan Omar, an Egyptian man who until last spring taught Arabic and humanities at the academy, the country's first Arabic-English, dual-language public school. "We are afraid that anything could be taken out of context."
It was not exactly what teachers and the planning team had expected. The Khalil Gibran school was to have been a refuge in the midst of post-Sept. 11 New York City, a place where a mixed group of Arabic speakers and non-Arabic speakers would learn together. The school, which opened in 2007 with a sixth-grade class, was designed to grow into a middle and high school in the spirit of the more than 65 dual-language schools in New York City, which teach in Spanish, Creole, Russian and other languages. By graduation, it was expected that Khalil Gibran students would have a command of Arabic and an understanding of the cultural context in which the language exists.
But this past September, many of the original sixth-grade students had not returned as seventh graders. The school has cut back on Arabic language instruction, is no longer set to become a high school and has moved twice in its first year of operation. The founding principal, Debbie Almontaser, was forced to resign following a media storm over the meaning of the word "intifada," and the school is being led by its third principal. None of the original teachers remain at the school, and those who have left claim they were fired or forced to leave because of the stress.
It came to this, critics say, because the school was targeted by a network of conservative organizations and their media outlets that have long been in the business of attacking educators with any perceived links to Palestine. In the words of Jeffrey Weisenfeld, one of the cohort's most prominent speakers and a powerful trustee at the City University of New York, the school would have been a breeding ground for an Islamist "religious crusade" and anti-Israel extremism posing "a danger to the social fabric of the country."
While the idea of sixth graders leading a religious crusade might sound ridiculous, the conservative groups succeeded in their attacks. Today, the school appears mired in an atmosphere of fear, tension and instability.
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The idea for the Khalil Gibran International Academy began in 2005. The New Visions for Public Schools, an education reform nonprofit organization in New York, proposed the idea to the New York City Department of Education, which agreed.
For many Arab families, the school offered the possibility of moving beyond racism and fear. "Since 9/11, Arabs have been targeted in New York," said one Arab parent who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation by school administrators. "We wanted to have people come together to become global citizens and to have a different idea about Arabs."
For others, like Serena Fakir, a 12-year-old girl of mixed Arab and South Asian descent, it was an opportunity to learn Arabic. "In my family, I feel a little bad sometimes that I am the only one who doesn't speak Arabic," she said.
As New Visions began looking for someone to lead the school's design and implementation, public officials and community members repeatedly recommended Debbie Almontaser, an Arab and Muslim-American woman of Yemeni descent with a long history as a community leader, educator and inter-religious dialogue builder. "She is a person who brings people together," said Carmen Farina, the recently retired deputy chancellor of the New York City Department of Education.
Almontaser spent more than a year developing plans for the school. "I wanted what we taught our students to be relevant to all communities, locally and globally, for a better understanding of the world we live in," she said in a recent interview.
But as the school moved forward, a trickle, then a torrent of reaction burst forth. "The hate blogs went up upon the naming of the school," said Adam Rubin, who has recently left his position as the director of policy and research at New Visions. "That was the big red flag."
In April 2007, months before the school opened, the New York Sun (which shutdown in October), a neoconservative daily paper, published an editorial by Daniel Pipes, the director of the neoconservative think-tank Middle East Forum. The New York Sun was a natural venue for Pipes. It began publication after Sept. 11 with financial backing from board members of right-wing think-tanks like the American Enterprise and Manhattan Institutes. Pipes's editorial, titled "A Madrassa Grows In Brooklyn," referred to the Khalil Gibran school as a "madrassa," the Arabic word for school that has come to be associated with Islamist extremism, and he called Almontaser by her given first name of Dhabah, even though she has called herself Debbie since she was a toddler.
Pipes's stated problem, though, was not just Almontaser; it was the existence of the school itself. "Arabic-language instruction," he wrote, "is inevitably laden with…Islamist baggage."
Pipes refused to be interviewed for this story. He wrote via e-mail, "I am approaching the school specifically from the vantage point of its Islamist content. In other words, I have little to say about race and color."
Two months after his op-ed was published, a group calling itself Stop the Madrassa Community Coalition sprouted up. Pipes is an advisor to the group, which by many accounts has only a handful of members. These people, however, suddenly found the microphone handed to them whenever they wished to speak on conservative, pro-war and anti-immigrant news shows and blogs. The group's members did not respond to requests to be interviewed.
Stop the Madrassa enlisted the help of Weisenfeld, who said the school was part of a larger "creeping" threat to the United States and the West in general because Islam is "a culture of the worship of death."
Pipes, Weisenfeld and several Stop the Madrassa members editorialized and blogged against the school. Their associates apparently tailed Almontaser wherever she made public appearances, trying to find information that could cast her as a radical.
One afternoon, a Stop the Madrassa member saw a T-shirt for sale during New York's Arab Heritage Week. The shirt read "Intifada NYC" and was printed by the Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media (AWAAM), a nonprofit that empowers Arab and Muslim girls to represent themselves and their communities through media.
The T-shirt was Pipes's and Stop the Madrassa's poison arrow. Almontaser sat on the board of an organization where AWAAM borrows office space, and though the T-shirt and AWAAM had no connection with the school, Stop the Madrassa accused Almontaser of supporting terrorism and harboring anti-Israel sentiments.
"All of the other news sources let the story go and saw that it was a ridiculous and unfounded accusation," said Almontaser. But the New York Post called her three or four times a day. Though she refused repeatedly to be interviewed, fearing her views would be distorted, the Department of Education told her to do the interview, and against her better judgment she did, thinking that perhaps it would close the matter.
In August, the Post reporter, who interviewed Almontaser with a Department of Education staffer on the phone, pushed her to provide a literal definition of the word "intifada." Almontaser provided the definition, which is a "shaking off," the translation offered by many Arabic/English dictionaries. She then explained that it had come to be associated with violence because of the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Almontaser was careful with her wording.
On August 6, Almontaser opened the Post to see the headline, "City Principal is 'Revolting'." The story misquoted her. It accused Almontaser of trivializing the violence of the Palestinian intifada. The Department of Education issued an apology on Almontaser's behalf for words the Post had misquoted.
Three days later, the Post published a letter from Randi Weingarten, who was then the president of New York's United Federation of Teachers. Weingarten, who has since been elected president of the American Federation of Teachers, assailed Almontaser for not condemning the word "intifada" and wrote that parents and teachers would be justified in worrying about Almontaser's leadership.
Weingarten's comments are widely believed to have been the tipping point that cost Almontaser her job, according to people close to the controversy. Weingarten, who holds a seat on the board of New Visions, rejects this assertion. "I deeply regret that my comments were used as a basis of continuing that treatment because Debbie is an incredible educator and a gift to the city," she said, "What ultimately happened I think is that the school system decided, for political reasons or based on merits, that Debbie was not going to cut it as a principal there and they used my comments as a way to make that decision....I think they probably set her up."
The day after Weingarten's letter ran in the newspaper, says Almontaser, a deputy mayor gave her a clear ultimatum: either leave, or the school will be terminated. Under duress, she resigned as principal and took an administrative position in the Department of Education.
Almontaser is now suing the city, claiming that the termination was discriminatory and violated her First Amendment rights. A federal appellate court judge, Jon Newman, condemned the city. He remarked, "So if a city employee speaks to the press, they're at risk that the press garbles their remarks, and then they get fired? That's quite a position for the City of New York."
As ColorLines went to production, Almontaser's lawsuit was in pre-trial proceedings. The Department of Education refused to comment on the case.
•••
Almontaser was not the first to be targeted by Pipes and his conservative allies. Many of those most active in the campaign against the Khalil Gibran school have long been involved in concerted and often successful blacklisting of professors perceived to have anti-American or anti-Israeli positions, which amounts to what some critics label a new McCarthyist assault on freedom of speech. The conservative groups in these attacks at university campuses have included Pipes's Middle East Forum and its offshoot, Campus Watch, which monitors Middle East Studies programs and faculty for their positions on Palestine and Israel. They have also included the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, which attacked professors who they deemed to be "unwilling to defend…civilization." Senator Joseph Lieberman and Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, are among this group's founders. Numerous professors have apparently lost their tenure bids as a result of Pipes and his cohorts.
The difference in the case of the Khalil Gibran school, however, was that these groups moved from attacking college professors whose scholarship challenges their worldview to targeting a public school principal whose employer is the City of New York. Many community leaders insist that the city was complicit in these new attacks, and in response, they formed a new group called Communities in Support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy. It's made up of several community organizations—including AWAAM, Center for Immigrant Families, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice—and has been endorsed by dozens of other groups.
"Despite the attack by the right wing," said Donna Nevel, a member of the Center for Immigrant Families, "had Debbie Almontaser received the support she deserved from the powers that be—the Mayor, the Chancellor, New Visions, the UFT President—the smear campaign would not have achieved its goals, and she would still be KGIA's principal."
Rashid Khalidi, a Modern Middle East Historian at Columbia University who has been one of Pipes's regular targets, agreed. "They should have fought back," he said, referring to the city. "The only way to deal with these factions that tread in falsehood and intimidation is to push back as hard as possible."
According to Larry Cohler-Esses, editor-at-large of The Jewish Week and author of an article titled "The New McCarthyism" for The Nation, nowadays "the mere fact of being Muslim can put one under suspicion in the eyes of these people."
Almontaser's hijab, her high-profile inter-religious dialogue work and her advocacy for Muslims and Arabs after Sept. 11 made her a prime target for Pipes and his allies. But it was their assertion of an anti-Israel perspective that appears to have been the lynchpin to rally support for Almontaser's removal.
In a curious move that raises many questions, the first principal hired after Almontaser was a religious Jewish woman.
•••
According to some of the school's original students, parents and teachers, the Khalil Gibran school retains little more than its name as it enters its second year. It is no longer a place where tolerance and respect are fostered. Hassan Omar, the humanities and Arabic teacher who felt so intimidated that he cut images of mosques from textbooks, remembered, "When I first heard about the school, I thought it was a dream, with a rigorous curriculum and intensive language program. The dream collapsed and became a nightmare."
Teachers say the curriculum no longer builds a discussion of Middle Eastern history and culture into course work, and students and parents say students are being inadequately instructed in all subjects. According to Danielle Jeffries, who worked at the school, Arabic language instruction has been cut back by a period per week, and some parents say it is even more. Parents, who wrote a letter to the Department of Education, complained widely that they have been given little access to the school, and their children are without the necessary resources, books and staffing. Teachers agree and say that they have not been supplied with the resources and support they have been promised. The school's third location is far from its original site in a neighborhood that had a larger Arab community, and this, too, is preventing the original group of students from continuing as students there.
Arab teachers say they were disrespected and scrutinized by administrators. "We're treated as if we'll touch the kids with our magic wands and they will become terrorists," said Omar.
These concerns led Arabic language teachers to stop teaching students words such as salaam alaikum and inshallah, which are both used popularly despite their vaguely theological etymology—the usage is akin to saying "god bless you" in response to a sneeze.
Teachers' efforts to protect themselves has not keep them safe, though. The four original teachers hired by Almontaser are no longer at the school. They were pushed out or left because of the stress, according to a number of people, including parents and educators at the school.
Sean Grogan, a young white man who taught science at the school until last May and was in his second year as a teacher, says he was subjected to a witch hunt for talking to the press about the lack of leadership and inadequate conditions inside the school, echoing what the federal appellate court judge had said about Almontaser. Grogan claims he was reprimanded at the school for things that were beyond his control, such as getting blamed for a student who got hurt during a science class. He also contends that the school administration was intent on gathering enough demerits to have him fired. Melanie Meyer, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, declined to talk about Grogan's case, saying she couldn't discuss specific personnel matters.
Other teachers told similar stories.
Hassan Omar said he was also fired from the school because of trumped-up and trivial accusations about his teaching, including that he neglected to use an overhead projector. He claimed there was no overhead projector in the classroom and that when he asked the new principal for instructions on how to improve his performance, she refused to help him.
While the school struggles, Stop the Madrassa continues its campaign against Almontaser, apparently not contented by her being fired. Three of the group's members have filed a defamation suit against Almontaser for stating that members of the group have stalked her.
Though he believes he was wronged, Grogan was most emotional when he spoke about the students. "What happened to these kids? What did they learn from this? What they saw was teachers that love them, that cared for them, that they watched do the right thing and get crucified for it. What is that going to teach them?"
Twelve-year-old Fakir, who is no longer a student at the school, has already learned an unfortunate lesson. "I know there are so many people being racist against the school," she said. "I don't read the articles, but everyone is against learning Arabic as a second language."
Showing posts with label Khalil Gibran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Khalil Gibran. Show all posts
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Chief: Principal Gone, Furor Lingers
Arabic School Controversy
http://www.thechief-leader.com/news/2007/0824/News/005.html
By MEREDITH KOLODNER
A new Arabic dual-language school is still scheduled to open in September after replacing its embattled founding Principal.
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UFT Joined Criticism
Ms. Almontaser attracted national media attention and criticism after she declined to condemn a t-shirt created by a young Arab women's group that displayed the words "NYC Intifada." Ms. Almontaser had no connection to the group, but after her comments were criticized by Mayor Bloomberg, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, and the editorial boards of several newspapers, she stepped down from her post.
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While public defense of Ms. Almontaser has been muted, some Teachers on list serves and blogs have expressed dismay that the well-respected educator was forced out, arguing that she was a casualty of a well-orchestrated xenophobic campaign against the school that pre-dated her remarks.
The comments that caused the uproar first appeared in the New York Post after reporters asked her to comment on the t-shirts they saw at a street fair, which were created by Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media (AWAAM).
"The word [intifada] basically means 'shaking off.' That is the root word if you look it up in Arabic," Ms. Almontaser told the Post. "I understand it is developing a negative connotation due to the uprising in the Palestinian-Israeli areas. I don't believe the intention is to have any of that kind of [violence] in New York City.
'Shaking Off Oppression'
"I think it's pretty much an opportunity for girls to express that they are part of New York City society ... and shaking off oppression," she added.
Her comments were followed by criticism from the Mayor, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, several politicians, a whirlwind of activity on conservative Web sites and a planned Aug. 12 protest by Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
Ms. Weingarten wrote a letter to the Post after the paper ran an editorial calling for Ms. Almontaser's dismissal. "It is very disturbing to read about Almontaser defending the use of the term 'Intifada NYC,' and I agree wholeheartedly with your editorial denouncing the practice ... While the city teachers' union initially took an open-minded approach to this school, both parents and teachers have every right to be concerned about children attending a school run by someone who doesn't instinctively denounce campaigns or ideas tied to violence."
Regrets Rationalization
Ms. Almontaser apologized the next day. "The word 'intifada' is completely inappropriate as a T-shirt slogan," she said in a statement. "I regret suggesting otherwise. By minimizing the word's historical associations, I implied that I condone violence and threats of violence. That view is anathema to me."
But calls for her dismissal continued and she stepped down on Aug. 10. In her resignation letter, she wrote, "The days that I have spent establishing the Academy have been some of the best of my life - I have never seen as talented a group of Teachers and other staff as we assembled to lead this school."
She stated that she believed she had been attacked because of her religion and that the school's opponents' "intolerant and hateful tone has come to frighten some of the parents and incoming students. I have grown increasingly concerned that these few outsiders will disrupt the community of learning when the Academy opens its doors on September 4th. Therefore, I have decided to step aside to give the Academy and its dedicated staff the full opportunity to flourish without these unwarranted attacks."
Mayor: Right Move
Mr. Bloomberg and DOE officials welcomed her resignation. "She got a question, she's not all that media-savvy maybe, and she tried to explain a word rather than just condemn," said the Mayor at an Aug. 13 press conference. "I think she felt that she had become the focus of - rather than having the school the focus, so today she submitted her resignation, which is nice of her to do. I appreciate all her service, and I think she's right to do so."
A spokeswoman for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators said President Ernie Logan had no comment on Ms. Almontaser's ouster.
But not all educators were pleased with the result. "The whole t-shirt thing was a red herring," said Steve Quester, a 20-year Teacher who is the chapter leader at P.S. 372.
A Religious Crusade
He noted the campaign against the school, begun in March by right-wing author Daniel Pipes. In June, a group of New Yorkers launched the "Stop the Madrassa" coalition. The word madrassa literally means school in Arabic, but it is used in the U.S. to refer to religious Muslim schools, often with the implication that terrorism is taught to the children.
Mr. Quester said that as an educator, Ms. Almontaser was trying not to feed into stereotypes when she explained the meaning of the word intifada, but that the question was a set-up by the Post reporters. "The choice was: throw the girls from AWAAM under a bus, or we're going to get you," he said.
Mr. Quester said he was disappointed that his union didn't step up to defend Ms. Almontaser.
"I knew intifada meant shaking off; that comes from being in the Middle East peace movement," said Mr. Quester. "Her comments were coming out of a level of political and cultural knowledge that the people attacking her don't have and don't want to have."
History of Reaching Out
Ms. Almontaser, who is observant and wears the hijab, is a former Teacher and has a long history of interdenominational activism. She was a member of the Brooklyn Dialogue Project, a group of Jews, Muslims, and Christians who met on a monthly basis to discuss issues of concern to their communities. In the weeks after 9/11, Ms. Almontaser was asked by several ministers and rabbis to speak at city synagogues and churches on behalf of the Arab and Muslim communities.
Her son had joined the U.S. Army three years prior to 9/11, and he was called into service to stand guard at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks. That fall, she wrote in a widely circulated essay, "We must get to know each other by speaking to one another. We need to make sure that everyone's voice is heard rather than silenced, to overcome our fears."
Some commentators have characterized the appointment of Ms. Salzberg to head the Gibran Academy as a smart strategic move to fend off further criticism. DOE officials have repeatedly said they are committed to opening the school. Some in the Arab community have condemned the replacement of an Arab leader with a white Jewish woman as giving in to racism.
'Could Be an Issue'
Lili Brown, the vice president of external affairs at New Visions said she was aware in advance that the school would face challenges. She said she had confidence in Ms. Salzberg's ability. "If people make [her race] an issue," she said, "it will become an issue."
Meanwhile, the 44 students who have signed up to go to the school, four of whom speak Arabic and 75 percent of whom are black, began meeting the school's staff last week. One parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was shaken by the events, but believed in the mission of the school. She said she had long been a fan of Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese-Christian poet and writer after whom the school is named. She recited one of her favorite quotes from his work that she said inspired her: "Your neighbor is your other self dwelling behind a wall. In understanding all walls shall fall down."
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Khalil Gibran International Academy
Principal at New NYC Arabic-Language School Forced to Resign
Monday, August 13th, 2007
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/13/1346223 The principal of New York City's first public school dedicated to the study of Arabic language and culture resigned under pressure after she was quoted explaining that the word "intifada" literally means "shaking off" in Arabic. Debbie Almontaser's remarks were in response to a question over the phrase "Intifada NYC," that was printed on T-shirts sold by AWAAM, a Brooklyn-based girl's empowerment organization. The shirts have no relation to her school. [includes rush transcript]
The Khalil Gibran International Academy will be New York's City's first public school dedicated to the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture. It is due to open this fall but ever since plans for the school were announced early this year it has been the object of a well-orchestrated attack from the local rightwing media and neoconservatives like Daniel Pipes. The New York Sun has been relentlessly hostile calling the school a place that could "groom future radicals." In the latest setback, the principal of the school, Debbie Almontaser, resigned last week under pressure after she was lambasted by the media for publicly explaining that the word "intifada" literally means "shaking off" in Arabic. Her remarks, made last weekend, were in response to questions from The New York Post over the phrase "Intifada NYC," which was printed on T-shirts sold by Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media - or AWAAM, a Brooklyn-based girl's empowerment organization. The shirts have no relation to her school. Almontaser was widely criticized for not denouncing the use of the word and condemning its use on the T-shirt. On Wednesday, a headline in the Post called Almontaser the "Intifada Principal." This weekend, an editorial in the paper had the headline, "What's Arabic for 'Shut It Down'?" In a statement on Friday, Almontaser said she was stepping down as principal of the school. She wrote, "I became convinced yesterday that this week's headlines were endangering the viability of Khalil Gibran International Academy, even though I apologized." Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he continued to support the school, but welcomed Almontaser's departure. On his weekly radio program this weekend, he said of Almontaser, "She's very smart. She's certainly not a terrorist. She really does care." Almontaser had a major hand in designing the Khalil Gibran school. As described by its planners, it will offer a standard college preparatory curriculum, with instruction in Arabic each day and a focus on international studies.
- Paula Hajar, longtime educator and activist. She has worked with and written extensively about Arab and Arab American communities in the United States.
- Mona Eldahry, co-founder of AWAAM, Arab women active in the Arts and Media, an organization that trains young Arab women and girls in media production and leadership skills.
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
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AMY GOODMAN: The Khalil Gibran International Academy will be New York City's first public school dedicated to the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture. It's due to open this fall, but ever since plans for the school were announced early this year, it's been the object of a well-orchestrated attack from local rightwing media and neoconservatives like Daniel Pipes. The New York Sun has been relentlessly hostile, calling the school a place that could “groom future radicals." In the latest setback, the principal of the school, Debbie Almontaser, resigned last week under pressure after she was lambasted by the media for publicly explaining that the word “intifada” literally means “shaking off” in Arabic. Her remarks, made last weekend, were in response to questions from the New York Post over the phrase “Intifada NYC,” which was printed on T-shirts sold by Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media, or AWAAM, a Brooklyn-based girl's empowerment organization. The shirts have no relation to Almontaser’s school. She was widely criticized for not denouncing the use of the word and condemning its use on the T-shirt. On Wednesday, a headline in the New York Post called her the “Intifada Principal.” This weekend, an editorial in the paper had the headline, “What’s Arabic for ‘Shut It Down’?” In a statement on Friday, Debbie Almontaser said she was stepping down as principal of the school. She wrote, “I became convinced yesterday that this week’s headlines were endangering the viability of Khalil Gibran International Academy, even though I apologized.” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he continued to support the school, but welcomed her departure. On his weekly radio program this weekend, Bloomberg said of Almontaser, “She's very smart. She's certainly not a terrorist. She really does care.” Almontaser had a major hand in designing the Khalil Gibran the school. As described by its planners, it will offer a standard college preparatory curriculum, with instruction in Arabic each day and a focus on international studies. We're joined right now by two people. Paula Hajar is a veteran educator and activist in Arab American communities. She joins us now in our firehouse studio here in New York. We're also joined by Mona Eldahry, the founding director of AWAAM. We welcome you both to Democracy Now!. PAULA HAJAR: Thank you. AMY GOODMAN: Let's first start by talking about why the principal was forced to step down -- why don't we begin with you, Paula Hajar -- and the origins of this school, the significance of the Khalil Gibran school? PAULA HAJAR: Well, having an Arabic -- a public Arabic-language school or a school that at least teaches Arabic and teaches within its social studies program the contributions of the Arab world, the relationship between the Arab world and the West, in terms of cultural and other scientific contributions, it's been just the logical next step. I mean, post-9/11, people have been very curious about -- more curious than ever about the Arab world and actually more curious about Arab Americans. So it seemed like the moment was at hand where we could -- Debbie took the reins -- could produce, bring about a school that would both serve the Arab American community, serve the New York City community, in terms of the language, but also in terms of opening up what it -- what the Arabic culture was all about. I find in my own work, my own life, that people are very, very ignorant about Arabic culture. They have mainly negative impressions. Their initial fallback position is always negativity. And that's really saddening for someone of Arab heritage who knows the -- you know, the beauty of the heritage and feels bad for people who are kind of sunk in negativity about it. I think the fact that the museum of -- the Metropolitan Museum is holding a fabulous exhibit of the Arab world and Venice right now, even as we speak, shows just how much is sort of like under the radar for most people, that they don't know that the Arab world has had enormous impact on Western civilization. AMY GOODMAN: Explain who Khalil Gibran, who the school is named for, is. PAULA HAJAR: Khalil Gibran was one of the first immigrants from what we called in those days “Greater Syria.” He’s from the mountains of Lebanon. He was one of the early immigrants, came in 19-- sorry, 1895 at the age of twelve, immigrated with his mother and sisters to Boston and showed early promise as a poet and an artist. And I think it was in 1915, or those years, he moved to New York, so he spent part of every year in New York. He had a studio on West 10th Street and became quite a central figure, both in the Arab American literary community and in the American arts. He was very fond of Walt Whitman and his group, which was called in English the Pen League, formed a writing group where they produced a lot of good literature, both in Arabic and English. And they pretty much revolutionized Arabic poetry, which is a very important art form in the Arab world. And I was just noticing -- I mean, they were very much integrated. They loved their new country, and they were very much integrated in the new country, and they felt very much that people should be proud of where they came from, but they should also contribute to the new land. And the other -- a few weeks ago, I was up at the City College. I saw Finian's Rainbow, and that was written by one of the people in that group: Fred Saidy was one of the original members of the Pen League. But twenty years later, he wrote that musical. So it's very interesting that they chose that name for their school, because -- AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, Khalil Gibran, famous for The Prophet. PAULA HAJAR: Famous for The Prophet, and The Prophet, that little book, was in the backpacks of soldiers in, I think, it was World War II. That book was published in 1923, I think, by Alfred Knopf, which was just a fledgling publishing house, and it made that publishing house, and it had incredible success, generation after generation. And that little book was sent off with soldiers, American soldiers, in World War II. So, you know, people don't know how integrated some of the Arabic culture already is in this city and in this country. AMY GOODMAN: Mona, would you explain the controversy? Mona Eldahry is the co-founder of AWAAM, Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media. The school about to open, the founding principal about to take the reins, and then this T-shirt explodes into a controversy. Explain it. MONA ELDAHRY: Right. Well, the press saw the T-shirt displayed at an Arab heritage festival in Brooklyn. And -- AMY GOODMAN: You have a copy of this -- do you have a T-shirt here? MONA ELDAHRY: I do. I do have a copy of it. This is the T-shirt. AMY GOODMAN: And you can explain it for our radio viewers. It says -- it’s a tan T-shirt with pink letters -- MONA ELDAHRY: Right. AMY GOODMAN: -- that says, “Intifada NYC.” MONA ELDAHRY: Right. “Intifada NYC.” AMY GOODMAN: “AWAAM.org.” MONA ELDAHRY: And “AWAAM.org.” So, the controversy occurred when pictures of this T-shirt got to the press, of course, you know, in the middle of this war against the school. You know, so the Post and Fox, especially, started then using the T-shirts in their coverage of the school, and they were against the school, to say that the principal of the school supports the T-shirts. Now, “Intifada NYC” is not a call for terrorism, as they say. It’s not a call for violence or, if I could quote one of the publications, “Gaza Strip uprising in the Big Apple.” “Intifada NYC” is a term that, you know, we developed maybe two, three years ago in the years since September 11th. Basically, for myself -- everybody interprets it differently -- but for myself, I feel, as an Arab woman, as a Muslim woman and as a woman of color, pressure from two sides. You know, on the one hand, especially after September 11th, there was the discrimination that we faced, you know, the hate crimes. And if you talked to any of our young women, they experienced hate, you know. They experienced hate in the streets. And then, on the other hand is, we go home to our families, you know, and we are advised, especially in the years after September 11, don't say anything about, you know, where you're from, don't speak your language in front of people, and certainly don't get involved in political discussions. AMY GOODMAN: Now, what does AWAAM have to do with the school? MONA ELDAHRY: OK, AWAAM is not related to the school. And it's unfortunate that the school has been related to us. AWAAM uses the -- basically we're a small nonprofit organization. We don't have our own space or a staff. So the Yemeni association, the Association of Yemeni Americans, donates space to us, and the principal of the school serves on the board of the Yemeni association. AMY GOODMAN: And that's how the two were connected? MONA ELDAHRY: Right. AMY GOODMAN: You talked about this as only the latest war or battle for the school. What is the history of this in the founding of the school? What other troubles has there been, even before the doors open in the next week? MONA ELDAHRY: Well, the school was slated to open in a different location and was forced, you know, to move. And this is something that's happened, you know, ever since Little Rock, you know, people protesting young children of color coming into their communities. And it's happening today. You know, today in California, in LA, there's a school, and also in Oakland, you know, people don't want social justice schools to open, schools that serve communities of color. Even Hetrick Martin Institute in Manhattan, a school for LGBT youth, you know, was heavily, heavily protested by community members, by the press. You know, the press actually -- in our case, the press created this war. AMY GOODMAN: What does “intifada” mean for you in that T-shirt, “Intifada NYC”? MONA ELDAHRY: OK. Well, as I mentioned before, I, as an Arab woman, for example, feel pressure from two sides: on one hand, from the community discrimination -- from the outside, I mean, you know, discrimination on the streets -- and then from our own communities, you know, we're told, you know, “Be careful. You know, don't -- you know, don't go to demonstrations. Don't be too outspoken, you know,” you know, especially when we were young. September 11th happened. I was about maybe twenty-two, you know? And my parents were telling me this. Now, imagine if I was fifteen, sixteen, you know, and you're experiencing hate on the streets and in the school, and then you go home and you're told not to speak about it, not to act about it. That's actually a big detriment to adolescent development. And that's why AWAAM is around, because, you know, young women need a place to productively, you know, discuss these things and take action on what they're experiencing, by producing media pieces, by speaking out and by educating themselves about the issues. AMY GOODMAN: And so, “intifada” means…? MONA ELDAHRY: “Intifada” means “shaking off,” you know, so shake off these pressures that we're feeling, both from the other side and from our side. You know, we have to speak out. And if we don't speak up for ourselves, who will? AMY GOODMAN: As a scholar of Arab culture, Paula Hajar, what do you think of this becoming the kind of flashpoint for the principal, and the significance of who Debbie Almontaser is? PAULA HAJAR: Well, I think it was an excuse. They were obviously looking for something. It's tragic that they attack the language the way they do. I mean, Mona has talked about the word “intifada.” You know, the word for a school is “madrasah,” and they use it as an epithet, you know, that this was going to be a madrasah, meaning a training ground for jihadists or for, you know, warriors. So it's kind of tragic for all of us to see our culture peeled away this way and trashed, really. AMY GOODMAN: Do you think the school will open? Will it get a new principal? PAULA HAJAR: I have great hope that it will -- that it will open. I also have great hope that Debbie -- that she will be able to maintain her involvement, and I think she should. AMY GOODMAN: Her significance in the community? PAULA HAJAR: She has been one of the most patient, gracious -- I don't know what the word is for people who extend the hand, bridge builders. She has done it for years. She has met with everyone. She has not gotten fed up or tired of it, tired of being misunderstood. She has just been indefatigable. So somebody like that and who is -- anybody who has met her knows she's the most gracious, gentle person. She is the -- I find her a fabulous resource, both for the American community and for the Arab community. AMY GOODMAN: In the New York Times on Saturday, the piece said the school’s first proposed location was in the building that houses Public School 282, an elementary school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, but parents there mounted vigorous opposition, saying there was insufficient room for the two schools. They prevailed, and the school was reassigned to another site. This time, Khalil Gibran would share with two schools: Math and Science Exploratory School, a middle school, and Brooklyn High School of the Arts. But parents were just as antagonistic for sharing space with Khalil Gibran, protesting at a contentious public hearing. The Education Department insisted the school would open as planned, though. So where will it be? PAULA HAJAR: It will be in that second place, that I think that Mr. Klein and Mayor Bloomberg -- AMY GOODMAN: Joel Klein, the Chancellor of Schools. PAULA HAJAR: -- have not backed down on the idea of the school, on the existence of the school. I think they are committed. I think that our community needs to -- and other interested parties needs to remind them of their commitment, but I think -- at least that was my understanding from talking with Debbie's family, that they are committed to opening this school. AMY GOODMAN: And the forces opposed, how would you characterize them? Who are they? PAULA HAJAR: People who are afraid. People who are afraid and ignorant, and that's exactly why we need the school. MONA ELDAHRY: The forces opposed are actually, you know, organized, organized people, who should be, you know -- who should be brought to, you know -- we should address this. There’s a Stop the Madrassa Coalition, and if you go to their website, you can see all of the organizations who are involved. There's Pamela Hall, who’s the head of that. And there’s Daniel Pipes, who is a blogger, website owner, you know. And they have really whipped up this hysteria. And the thing is that the press, the Post and Fox, have actually helped them do it. The press is -- if it wasn't for the press, Randi Weingarten would not have condemned Debbie, and if it wasn’t for that, Debbie probably would not have resigned. AMY GOODMAN: And let me explain, Randi Weingarten is the president of the United Federation of Teachers. She previously had defended the school and, according to the Times, called the word “intifada” something that ought to be denounced, not explained away. Your comment on that, Paula Hajar? PAULA HAJAR: You know, the language is a large language. Obviously words can be used any and in many different ways. And “jihad,” for example, “jihad” has an explanation. “Jihad” is a struggle. It's more relevant to the inner struggle. It's like your twelve-step program or Al-Anon or Alcoholics Anonymous or Weight Watchers. It's what you do to get clear, to kind of clean up your own business. That's what a jihad really is. But people use it always as a holy war. And this “intifada” -- I mean, Mona gave a beautiful explanation, and that was what Debbie was referring to. And people cannot just have these knee-jerk reactions. They have no context. They're not allowing for context either. AMY GOODMAN: We're going to leave it there. We have to wrap up. Last comment, Mona. MONA ELDAHRY: I think there’s a culture of fear around the Arabic language. You know, the term “madrasah” has been used against us. You know, all of these things. But, you know, you could go to our website and tell us what you think about, you know, the “I word.” Take the “I word” survey. What do you think about “Intifada NYC”? Send us your blogs, and we will post them. And stay tuned for our press conference Wednesday, to be announced. AMY GOODMAN: And what is your website? MONA ELDAHRY: Www.awaam.org. That’s awaam.org. Donate - $25, $50, $100, more...
AMY GOODMAN: I want to thank you both for being with us: Mona Eldahry, co-founder of AWAAM, Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media, and Paula Hajar, longtime educator and activist, has written extensively about Arab and Arab American communities in the United States. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report. When we come back, another T-shirt story. It's the story of Raed Jarrar. His T-shirt said “We will not be silent,” and JetBlue said he could not go on the flight he was planning to take if he wore that T-shirt.
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