[Watch the video in our Press Room...]

September 27, 2007

To the Producers of the Hannity and Colmes show:

We were extremely dismayed to see the interview you did last night with City Councilmember John Liu. Your show is an example of the ill-informed campaign of hatred by a powerful corporate media outlet to discredit the KGIA and its founding principal Debbie Almontaser. As an editorial show, you have a right to establish a position; however, you have an obligation not to condone and perpetuate the misinformation that led to Debbie’s forced resignation. By doing so, we believe you are furthering a bigoted and hateful environment that jeopardizes the safety of the children attending KGIA.

If your show had done the necessary research and analysis, you would know that:

1. Any reporter who links the school to the T-shirts is one who promotes lies and distortion. Debbie Almontaser did not endorse violence in any way and was not connected to the “t-shirts”. She did not do or say anything wrong. Additionally, the youth organization that made the t-shirts was never connected to the school.
2. This incident is part of a relentless anti-Arab and anti-Muslim campaign against the school that has been led for the past seven months by virulently White supremacist and anti-immigrant organizations and individuals.
3. Debbie Almontaser has an impeccable track record as an educator and human being who has devoted her life to building meaningful and sustained relationships among NYC’s many different communities.

Sean Hannity, who opposes the school, led the interview, disrespecting and interrupting Councilman Liu. Your approach revealed a lack of interest in having genuine and substantive dialogue about why so many individuals, organizations and elected officials believe Debbie Almontaser must be reinstated as principal of KGIA. Despite the ad hominem attacks and interruptions, Councilman Liu—one of the most ethical, thoughtful and eloquent members of the New York City Council—was able to point out a few very important things:

1. There are many dual language programs throughout the City that are a vibrant part of our public school system, teaching students to be multicultural, bi-literate and bilingual. In addition to the clear benefits of learning a second language, dual language students tend to fare better academically than students who are in monolingual programs.
2. The DOE had a responsibility to defend Debbie Almontaser against the smear campaign against her and the school and did not. They should do what is right and set an example for our children and the City by inviting Debbie to resume her position as principal of the school.
3. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, a well-respected political figure, spoke out in support of Debbie Almontaser and condemned the racist campaign against her.

We hope you will think about your tactics as interviewers and how you made it impossible to have an honest and intelligent discussion about one of the most profound examples of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry that our educational system has encountered.

~ Communities in Support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy

[Watch the video in our Press Room...]

September 27, 2007

…The Coalition is broad, and it includes many prominent New Yorkers. Here’s what a few of the group’s members have to say:

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz called the attacks and insinuations against her “disgraceful, xenophobic, and racist.”

Rabbi Michael Paley said, “If Debbie Almontaser is painted in that way, then no one is safe.”

NYC Councilman Robert Jackson was emphatic: “What happened to her is wrong. What’s happening to the school is wrong. And we’re standing up and saying that we must correct that injustice.

The outrage is best expressed by the words of Dr. Michelle Fine, a professor at City University of New York, and her mother, Rose:

“Given her long history as a peace educator in New York City, and her vital role in coalition building post 9/11, the loss of Almontaser as Principal of KGIA throws a shadow of shame on us all: what my mother, Rose Fine, a Jewish immigrant from Poland would call a “shande”—a deep, penetrating shame that
saturates the soul of our civic community.”

Read the whole blog…

Education: Speech Impediment

Lorraine Ali

Oct. 1, 2007 issue - Lost in the recent firestorm over the nation’s first bilingual Arab-English public school—the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., which opponents have argued will become a breeding ground for militant Islam—is the statistical truth that Arab-language programs are already on the rise. The National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC) in Washington estimates that the number of public schools offering full-time Arabic instruction for K-12 students has quadrupled from less than 10 in 2001 to more than 40 today. With enrollment up some 150 percent in university programs since 2001, the Department of Education is scrambling to meet the demand. Most of the growth in higher-education Arabic programs comes from non-Arab and Muslim students, says Kirk Belnap, director of the National Middle East Language Resource Center in Utah, an organization created after the 9/11 attacks and funded by the Department of Education. “Some kids do look at it as an employment skill,” says Belnap, “but most want to be engaged so they can promote East-West understanding.”

But not everyone is onboard. Though the Khalil Gibran middle school claims no religious affiliation—it takes its name from a secular Christian poet—an organization called Stop the Madrassa Coalition wants to shut it down. Its campaign attracted worldwide media coverage and successfully pressured the school’s Arab-American principal, Debbie Almontaser, to step down after she defended her interpretation of an intifada nyc T shirt popular with many local Arab women. “No matter how you slice it, a lot of this is about Islamaphobia or a fear of Arabs,” says Dora Johnson, project director of the K-12 Arabic Network at the NCLRC. “It’s not about how a language is taught. It’s about bias, and how do you deal with that?”

“Academia is well aware of these groups that try to create a sort of academic censorship.” ~ Mahmoud Al-Batal, Assoc. Prof. of Arabic, University of Texas

Many parents, students and educators are asking the same question, especially since the federal government is firmly supporting the notion of Arabic instruction in public schools. More…

September 22, 2007

By Shazia Khan

Both Jews and Muslims observed a fast Saturday, and some members of those communities gathered on the Upper West Side to break the fast together. NY1’s Shazia Khan filed the following report.

Jews and Muslims came together Saturday night in what might seem an unlikely place, gathering at the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew on the Upper West Side to break their fast and build bonds.

“We think its God’s home,” said K. Karpen, senior pastor of St. Paul and St. Andrew. “It’s really not our home, and it should be shared with God’s people, and that’s everybody.”

With that spirit in mind, the church hosted an interfaith break of fast dinner, preparing and serving the food for their Jewish and Muslim guests.

“In light of everything that has happened to me, it…has given me much deeper conviction in seeing that our world needs this kind of work.” ~ Debbie Almontaser

Jews had kept a 25-hour fast in observance of Yom Kippur, their day of atonement. Muslims are in the midst of the month of Ramadan and fast each day during the daylight hours.

Because the faiths follow different calendars, it’s unusual for the holidays to overlap and those here took the advantage of the opportunity to better understand each other. Read more and WATCH THE VIDEO!

Communities in Support of Khalil Gibran International Academy

Elected officials called for principal Almontaser’s reinstatement

Community members and parents vow not to be silent

Thursday, September 20, 2007

By the steps of the New York City Department of Education’s Tweed
Courthouse yesterday, several New York City elected officials, parents and community members called for the reinstatement of Debbie Almontaser as principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, a new Brooklyn-based public school where students learn Arabic along with the content that is integral to every New York City public school. Almontaser was forced to resign after a six-month anti-Arab and anti-Muslim campaign against her and the school.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz recalled the many years he has known her as “a force of openness and cross cultural conversation” and stressed that “the Khalil Gibran International Academy, as we all know, was Debbie’s vision.” He called the attacks and insinuations against her “disgraceful, xenophobic, and racist.” And Rabbi Michael Paley reminded us, “If Debbie Almontaser is painted in that way, then no one is safe.”

Speaking as Chair of the City Council’s Education Committee, Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan) was emphatic: “What happened to her is wrong. What’s happening to the school is wrong. And we’re standing up and saying that we must correct that injustice.” Asking them to stand up and fight bigotry and racism, he announced his intention to make “an appeal in writing…to Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg to please reconsider your actions. Sometimes it’s O.K. to stand up and say you made a mistake. Being an adult, stand up and say you made a mistake”and stand up and say she needs to be reinstated.”

City Councilmember John Liu (D-Queens) stressed the DOE’s lack of support for Debbie: “They are at fault for not saying anything [during] the past month. They are sending the worst kind of message to New Yorkers and to all school kids—that they will buckle under the slightest pressure. So what they need to do is send the right message and set an example for the school kids in New York…and to give full support for the nurturing and the full launch and success of the KGIA. And what they must do is to invite Debbie Almontaser back as principal of KGIA.”

While asking the Mayor and Chancellor to reconsider and allow the school’s founder and visionary to continue to lead it, State Senator
Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) observed, “There’s much more support for her than might be evident.” He then went on to talk about people’s fears of being attacked in the press.

Although she was unable to attend the press conference, the written statement of Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Urban Education at CUNY, spoke for many New Yorkers: “Given her long history as a peace educator in New York City, and her vital role in coalition building post 9/11, the loss of Almontaser as Principal of KGIA throws a shadow of shame on us all: what my mother, Rose Fine, a Jewish immigrant from Poland would call a “shande”—a deep, penetrating shame that saturates the soul of our civic community.”

###

www.kgia.wordpress.com. Interviews available upon request.

Please check this page regularly for the latest website updates and additions. 

This website includes a number of articles, public statements and letters, video and audio resources related to the effort to support the Khalil Gibran International Academy against hurtful anti-Muslim and anti-Arab attacks.  Materials here include ones from Communities in Support of KGIA (the coalition), other non-coalition member supporters, blogs, and news sources.

We make updates on an ongoing basis.  If you encounter any problems with the site, please contact the webmaster.

FAQ: Using This Site

1. How can I read the latest news on KGIA?

Click the category News for all news items.  Click Articles to filter out only articles from newspapers and online news sources.

2. Where can I read statements of support?

Click the category KGIA Support to read public statements, as well as articles that do a great job of defending the school.

3. How can I see who has publicly supported KGIA?

Click here to see the latest statement of all organizational and individual endorsers.

 4. Where can I learn more about the opponents?

Click the category KGIA Opponents for our latest posts about those who are spreading misinformation about the school.  Many of the Articles include information on the opponents.  You can also visit their websites directly at Stop the Madrassa and Citizens for American Values in Public Education.

5. How can I show my support for KGIA?

Contact Communities in Support of KGIA in order to sign on as an organizational or indivial endorser.  Please specify which statement you want to sign, and include your organizational affiliation.

 [Note from CISKGIA webmaster: we are still working on identifying the date of this letter] 

Apology is necessary

To the editor [of the Brooklyn Paper],I am writing to demand that The Brooklyn Paper apologize for its deeply irresponsible coverage of the Department of Education’s proposal to locate the Kahlil Gibran Academy in the school building that houses PS 282, and that you remove the article dealing with this issue from your Web site.Your article unfairly characterizes a legitimate dispute about where the Kahlil Gibran school should be housed into an ethnic or religious conflict.

I fear that your suggestion that religion or ethnicity is at issue in the [KGIA] disagreement gives credence to a reprehensible bigotry that, regrettably, does exist…Your article was a cheap attempt to sensationalize a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed with good faith and good will.

The specific proposal to locate Kahlil Gibran together with PS 282 raises a host of concerns, just like other situations where two schools are housed within a single building. It is entirely appropriate for current PS 282 parents to express these concerns. PS 282 parents, just like supporters of the Kahlil Gibran school, want the best for both groups of students.Worst of all, I fear that your suggestion that religion or ethnicity is at issue in the PS 282 disagreement gives credence to a reprehensible bigotry that, regrettably, does exist. Responsible Brooklynites must not and do not abide such bigotry. Your article was a cheap attempt to sensationalize a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed with good faith and good will. You owe your readership an apology.

Sincerely,

Council Member David Yassky

Markowitz Calls Opponents `Disgraceful’ and `Xenophobic’
By Mary Frost, Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BOERUM HILL — Calling themselves “Communities in Support of KGIA,” a group of individuals and organizations held a press conference yesterday morning to call for Department of Education to support the city’s first Arabic-themed school and to reinstate its founding principal, Debbie Almontaser.

The group is also asking the City Council to investigate the events leading up to Almontaser’s resignation.

“Debbie’s comments were no excuse for the treatment she and the school received from certain media outlets…These insinuations were disgraceful, xenophobic and racist.” ~ Bor. Pres. Marty Markowitz

Almontaser was pushed to resign just weeks before the opening day of the Khalil Gibran International Academy (KGIA) after being criticized for not immediately condemning T-shirts printed with the words “Intifada NYC.” The shirts were sold by a young Arabic women’s empowerment group that operates out of the same office where Almontaser works on the board of the Association of Yemeni-Americans.  More…

A New York City public school embroiled in controversy opened its doors two weeks ago in the borough of Brooklyn. The small middle school devoted to Arabic language and culture has received vast media attention since its principal was forced to resign over a contentious remark in a newspaper interview. From VOA’s New York Bureau, Mona Ghuneim has details.

Supporters of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, 04 Sep 2007

In addition to the 50 or so sixth-grade students who arrived on the first day of school two weeks ago, so too did security guards and a horde of reporters.

The Khalil Gibran International Academy has been in the media spotlight since New York’s Department of Education decided to establish and open its first Arabic-English public school.

New York has about 70 dual-language schools that feature Chinese, Spanish, and French, but this is the first school that has incited such strong controversy.

The school’s founding principal Debbie Almontaser gave an interview last month to the New York Post, a conservative newspaper. In the interview, the reporter asked about a T-shirt slogan that was created by a group of Arab women who share office space with another group that Almontaser leads. The shirts read “Intifada NYC” (New York City).

Media reports say Almontaser defended the slogan, saying the message did not advocate violence but rather a “shaking off.” Some reports say Almontaser, who speaks Arabic fluently, even consulted a dictionary in the interview to show the reporter the original meaning of the word, now synonymous with the Palestinian uprising. Almontaser later apologized publicly but resigned under pressure.

Supporters like Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz say the school and Almontaser are victims of a discriminatory campaign aimed at closing the school.  More…

BY DANIEL MASSEY Special to Newsday

September 20, 2007

A group of elected officials called on the city’s mayor and schools chancellor to reinstate the former principal of the embattled Khalil Gibran International Academy, a Brooklyn school that emphasizes Arab studies, culture and language.The demand, made yesterday outside Department of Education headquarters in lower Manhattan, marked the first time local elected officials have publicly backed ousted educator Debbie Almontaser.

She resigned from the new school in August, before it opened, amid an outcry over her defense of the word “intifada” on T-shirts sold by a local youth group.

“[KGIA] has faced unfair attacks…That has created a pressure that the DOE has not stood up to.”

~ Donna Nevel, Communities in Support of KGIA 

Councilman Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan), who chairs the Education Committee, called for a meeting with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein to discuss the Boerum Hill academy’s future.

“I’m going to ask them to give the school the support it needs to grow and succeed,” Jackson said. “And I’m going to recommend they stand with me in order to reinstate Debbie.”

Jackson, who was joined by City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), state Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, said they did not speak out earlier because they did not want to jeopardize the school’s opening earlier this month.  More…