1 post tagged “public funds for religion”
Samuel G. Freedman writing for the NY Times defends Yemeni immigrant Debbie Almontaser who was to be the Principal of an opening Arabic culture Public School opening in Brooklyn, NY. Almontaser resigned her position as Principal before the Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA) even opened its doors.
Freedman goes through a list of anti-KGIA sources as if they were on a witch hunt to have Almontaser burnt at the stake. After comparing some of the anti-KGIA sources with Freedman’s article at the NY Times, I grudgingly agree that Almontaser was treated harsher than perhaps her actual character represents.
In addition to Daniel Pipes, Freedman lists these as anti-KGIA and anti-Almontaser blogs or media that provided editorials:
(I am a big fan of the last two as sources.)
On the other hand Almontaser is not a person that I would still favor as a Public School funded Principal of a school purported to have merely an Arabic culture curriculum. Here is the accreditation Freedman provides for Almontaser:
For anyone who bothered to look for it, Ms. Almontaser left a clear, public record of interfaith activism and outreach across the boundaries of race, ethnicity and religion. Her efforts, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks, earned her honors, grants and fellowships. She has collaborated so often with Jewish organizations that an Arab-American newspaper, Aramica, castigated her earlier this summer for being too close to a “Zionist organization,” meaning the Anti-Defamation League.
Ms. Almontaser has twice been profiled on Voice of America as an accomplished Muslim American. Her son, Yousif, spent several months on rescue efforts at ground zero as a member of the Army National Guard. Four of her nephews and cousins have served in the United States military in Iraq.
None of these details were exactly hidden under a rock. But her critics …
Freedman’s brief summation portrays a picture of the Arab-American Patriot. And you know what; it is difficult to argue with her accomplishments as portrayed by Freedman.
The thing is Almontaser’s critics went over the edge in demonizing her whereas Freedman may be a tad bit over the edge of glowing praise. Certainly from reading the comparisons Almontaser is a good American citizen due her rights of Freedom of Speech, Thought and Religion. The difficulty I have with Almontaser deals with the political polarity that has infected America opening a chasm of what is right and wrong in which an American should stand for their country.
For example Freedman fails to mention that some of those awards and civic relationships have been extended from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR has been linked to the Palestinian homicidal terrorist organization Hamas and recently has even been named as an unindicted co-conspirator with another American-Mohammedan organization for slush funding to Hamas. For CAIR that is the smoking gun that tarnishes its reputation as a moderate Mohammedan organization allegedly only concerned for the civil rights of Mohammedan-Americans. Anyone foolish enough to link themselves in anyway with CAIR thus supports CAIR’s Islamist agenda. Almontaser is one of many to have associated with CAIR.
Then there is the KGIA itself. The soon to open Academy has been very reluctant to make public it so-called Arabic Cultural curriculum. I suspect the reason for that is it is almost impossible to separate Arabic Culture from religious Islamic teachings. Thus really the public school with the appellation of Khalil Gibran International Academy would not so much be an Arabic cultural Public School as an Islamic Cultural Public School.
Hello! The Left, Secular Humanists and the ACLU have been fighting for more than half a century to keep any inklings to Christianity out of the Public School system erroneously proclaiming the government would be endorsing or establishing a particular religion with tax payer money.
Let us see: KGIA would be a school steeped in teaching its students Islamic culture; meaning teaching religion. Can anyone see the double standard?
There is a blog that Freedman would list as part of the witch hunt on Almontaser that everyone should read. It is called Stop the Madrassas. Go there and you will get detailed information on how the New York Mayor and Public School Officials have stonewalled in providing transparent information probably due to some Politically Correct sense of honor. If anyone has been following the War on Terror, Islamofascism and Islamists at home and abroad then you should be fully aware the defeatist and the appeasement mind of Politically Correctness is one of the hugest factors in gaining victories over terrorism globally.
Samuel G. Freedman should think of that and write a fair, balanced and realistic article about Almontaser and/or the KGIA.
