Communities in Support of KGIA

A School Steeped in Tolerance Adds a Course That Tests It

rachelfw — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:00:39 +0000

June 20, 2008

By SUSAN DOMINUS

As the president of her high school Peace Club, Claire Brennan does not like to fight. Even so, Claire, who will be a senior at Friends Seminary this fall, found herself in some impassioned conversations — let’s not even call them debates — this year, as she and some friends discussed what non-Western foreign language the school should add to its curriculum. The school, a small downtown institution, was soliciting suggestions from students and parents on whether Arabic or Mandarin Chinese would better suit its educational mission.

“If we start early enough, it really will be about the other and finding out about this part of the world that we’ve misunderstood in so many ways,”

“It was the talk of the whole school,” said Claire, one of a few students gathered in the principal’s office last week to discuss the issue. Claire, a lanky 17-year-old, had come down on the side of Arabic for obvious reasons — she is, after all, the president of the Peace Club — but she wanted to make it clear that her support for the language choice didn’t begin and end with world harmony. All along, she had agreed with her fellow classmate Christian Lopez-Balboa, who had pointed out in a classwide meeting with administrators that in five or six years, Arabic, not Chinese, might well be the more important language for those students who would be starting careers in finance. Read more…

LETTER TO MAYOR REQUESTING MEETING FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS, KGIA PARENTS, AND CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS

rachelfw — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:00:17 +0000

May 6, 2008

The group of community leaders and concerned individuals below wrote and asked to meet with the Mayor, but he (his office) turned them down. Rabbi Matalon wrote on behalf of the group twice more but they still said no. They said it was because of the lawsuit; however, the Mayor regularly talks about things he’s being sued about.

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

As members of the religious, higher education, and K–12 communities of New York City, we request a meeting with you to discuss the current status of Debbie Almontaser, the founding principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, and the growing threat to democratic education imposed by a small group who make the hateful and unfounded claim that “radical Islam” is being promoted in the school system

There is a general consensus among fair-minded New Yorkers, confirmed by this past week’s article in the New York Times, that Ms. Almontaser was the victim of a campaign of religious and ethnic bigotry that threatens the integrity, diversity, and democracy of public education K - 12. The impact has gone well beyond the wrong that was done to Ms. Almontaser. New York City’s public education system is recognized nationally and internationally for our commitments to pluralism, the small schools movement, and our rich history of dual language programs.

The episode has sent a chill through the small school movement and dual language programs, both of which, as you know, are such a vital part of our City’s public school system, and has dangerously circumscribed the range of acceptable discussion, debate and even hirings in our colleges and universities. In the City at large, the attacks on Ms. Almontaser and KGIA have re-ignited the forces of hate and intolerance, censorship and intimidation that have afflicted not only the Arab and Muslim communities since 9/11, but the Jewish communities, the world of higher education, and public K – 12 educators.

We would like to meet with you to enlist your help not only in rectifying the grave injustice done to Ms. Almontaser, but to also address these other critical issues affecting all New Yorkers.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Imam Shamsi Ali, Islamic Cultural Center of New York

Professor Louis Cristillo, Teachers College, Columbia University

Professor Michelle Fine, The Graduate Center–City University of New York

Professor Ofelia Garcia, Teachers College, Columbia University

Dr. Paula Hajar, educator

Deborah Howard, consultant and member, KGIA Design Team

Rabbi Rolando Matalon, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun

Professor Deborah Meier, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University

Pomposa Pena, PTA president, Khalil Gibran International Academy

Muhammed Shahadat, parent, Khalil Gibran International Academy

Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

*affiliations for identification purposes

Please respond to:

Rabbi Rolando Matalon

212-787-7600 ext 234

RMatalon@bj.org

At One Year, Turmoil Persists at Arabic-Themed School

rachelfw — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:00:15 +0000

June 20, 2008

By Amanda M. Fairbanks

The first year, it is safe to say, has not passed without its share of problems at the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn. The school has gone through multiple principals and lawsuits and even an equal employment opportunity complaint, not to mention a change in location, since opening its doors as the city’s only Arabic-themed school last September. Even the lone science teacher was recently ousted.

“Sadly, the school is a shadow of its former self,”

The biggest problem surrounding the school has no doubt been the removal of its founding principal, Debbie Almontaser, who resigned in August under enormous pressure, much of it from a chorus of critics who said she had a militant Islamic agenda.

Given the turmoil of the past year, it seemed curious to some of Khalil Gibran’s parents that a party and fund-raiser for the school had been planned for Thursday night.

“The families deserve the school they were promised,” said Donna Nevel, a member of Communities in Support of KGIA, an advocacy group that has demanded that Ms. Almontaser be reinstated. Read more…

LETTER FROM KGIA PARENTS TO COMMUNITY AND TO CHANCELLOR AND MAYOR

rachelfw — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:00:02 +0000

6/19/08

For those concerned, as we are, with the future of the Khalil Gibran International Academy….

THESE ARE THE LEAFLETS WE (KGIA PARENTS) WERE GOING TO HAND OUT IN FRONT OF THE KGIA FUND-RAISER BEFORE IT GOT CANCELED AT THE LAST MINUTE:

We are writing you now because you are participating in a one-year anniversary celebration for KGIA. We wish we could be celebrating with you but the letter below, which has already been signed by many KGIA parents and which we will be sending to the Chancellor and Mayor, will explain why we cannot. We believe it is important for you to know what is really happening at KGIA and why it is a cause for great concern, rather than celebration. We hope that, after reading his letter, you will come to the school and learn for yourself what is really happening inside our school. We believe that, if you do that, you will understand why it is inappropriate and insulting to those of us who have had to endure the realities of this past year at KGIA to have such a celebration right now.

In addition to the reasons explained in the letter below, there are a few additional things that have happened that you may not be aware of:

In a closed meeting last month, Department of Education officials decided to make KGIA a 6-8th grade school rather than 6-12th. That is a very significant and detrimental change for a dual language school, which cannot achieve its goals within 3 years. KGIA administration did not discuss this with parents or inform them of the decision.

For the past several months, a substitute teacher has been teaching our children literacy out of license.

Our highly-regarded science teacher, who has been the most outspoken about the problems at the school, was removed from KGIA. KGIA administration has refused to give parents any information about his status as a KGIA teacher and claims falsely that he continues to grade students’ work.

Our children with special needs have been neglected this year.

Though the school’s original teachers are excellent and highly-skilled, the administration has not created an environment at the school that is conducive to teaching and learning. There are an unusually high number of discipline problems on a regular basis because the Department of Education has not provided the school with the leadership and resources it needs to succeed.

Please do not hesitate to contact us (347-445-0733) if you would like additional information. We send this to you with very heavy hearts.

Sincerely,

Pamposa Pena, PTA President Muhammed Fakir Shahada, KGIA Parent Susan O’Grady KGIA Parent

THIS IS THE LETTER (SIGNED BY 16 PARENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS) THAT WE SENT TO THE MAYOR AND CHANCELLOR:

Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein:

We are parents and family members at the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn. We came to KGIA because we hoped for an excellent education for our children. We also wanted our children to attend a school that taught Arabic language and culture.

We are pleased that the New York Times has brought to the public’s attention what has happened to our school and its founding principal.

We would like to correct two points from the article:

1. The current principal is quoted as saying that the media attention has led to a “chaotic experience” for students. She is quoted as saying that “adults have created this, and children are the ones who have had to endure.” This is a false statement. The problems we have experienced are completely a result of what has been going on inside the school, the lack of resources and leadership, and the lack of support from the Department of Education.

2. The article says that, in recent weeks, conditions have improved. What the reporter may have been told is that we now have 3 classes, rather than 2, which is an improvement. As the rest of this letter will show, most things are not improving at the school.

In fact, we are very disappointed with how things have turned out at the school, and many of us are already pulling our children out of the school or are thinking of not returning next year. We hope it won’t come to that. One of the reasons we are thinking about leaving is that our school is moving to a neighborhood that is not easy to travel to and not near an Arab community, which is important for an Arabic language Dual Language program.

But, more than that, we are disturbed by the fact that the school has not had many of the resources it has needed since the beginning of the school year. Our children with special needs have not had proper instruction. Our social worker, whom students loved, was let go, though she has now been replaced with a guidance counselor. Students learning English as a Second Language went for seven months without proper language instruction. The walls that divide classrooms do not nearly reach the ceiling, creating a noisy environment that is difficult for teachers and students. Additionally, there have been numerous discipline problems, which continue to go unaddressed.

Most significantly, we worry about the school losing its identity as an Arabic dual langue program. In addition to the plan to move the school far from an Arab community, our Arabic language instruction has decreased to a little over two hours a week. We have seen little appreciation of Arabic language or culture within the school. There has not been a single cultural event where parents were invited to participate, and there are very few opportunities for our children to receive instruction about the culture.

As parents of KGIA students we believed we would be sending our children to a school that welcomed parent participation in the school community. We want and deserve a voice in our children’s education. However, the current leadership does not welcome us into the school or our children’s classrooms. Although we were told we would be included in discussions about whether and where the school should move before a decision was made, that did not happen. We ended up learning about the decision to move after the fact. Further, our children made and were circulating a petition to bring back the social worker that was fired. The principal took the petition from the children and ripped it up, showing no respect for their attempt to express their views and leadership on an issue that was important to them.

We believe the current leadership is not exhibiting a commitment to the mission of the school nor any ability to run the school effectively on a day-to-day basis. Under the current leadership, we have little faith that this will ever be the school we want for our children.

We are calling on the Department of Education to provide our school with better resources and leadership to educate our children. We want the school we were promised—the one envisioned and created by founding principal Debbie Almontaser. Our children deserve no less than that.

Anti-Muslim bias unfortunate, unnecessary

rachelfw — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:00:42 +0000

May 25, 2008

Ather Bano

Re the May 5 story, “Campaign targets influence of Islam”: It is so unfortunate that Debbie Almontaser had to resign as founding principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in New York City. No one is more qualified than she is. She was simply targeted because of who she is. She is an intelligent person, and she was not going to condemn a word that has a meaning but is not liked by a few. Read more…

Lieberman’s Very Serious Muslim-Bashing Senate Report

rachelfw — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:03 +0000

May 9, 2008

Chip Berlet

A bigoted bombshell was lobbed from Inside the Beltway last Thursday when the Senate Committee on Homeland Security under the “leadership” of Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman and ranking Republican Susan Collins. The report, “Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat,” combines Muslim bashing with suggestions that would further undermine Consitutional rights in the United States.

Debbie Almontaser was engaged in working in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities to challenge stereotypes and build bridges across communites. There are several initiatives across the country twinning the issues of Islamophobia and antisemitism. Almontaser, an early leader in such efforts has been slapped down by fanatics.

Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, summarized the ACLU response to the awful Lieberman/Collins Senate Committee report:

Though the need to prevent criminal acts of violence is unquestionable, targeting communities based on religious beliefs is unacceptable and unproductive. We will only end up stigmatizing the Islamic community and creating a nation of Islamophobes. Read more…

Debbie Interviewed on The Brian Lehrer Show: NPR

rachelfw — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00:38 +0000

Ousted Principal Responds

HEAR THE INTERVIEW HERE!

Debbie Almontaser is the former head of Khalil Gibran International Academy, New York City’s first Arabic-language public school. She’s currently seeking reinstatement as principal in the wake of controversy surrounding the school’s curriculum.

Lesson Plan on TeachingTolerance.org

rachelfw — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:00:29 +0000

Compiled by Victoria Williams

May 6, 2008

Critics Target Arab American Educator

Debbie Almontaser dreamed of a school where Arab and non-Arab children would learn together. Instead, she found herself in the midst of a controversy about assimilation — one fueled by anti-Arab bias.

View the lesson based on the front page New York Times Article

“Daniel Pipes v. Religious Tolerance” : The Huffington Post

rachelfw — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:54:08 +0000

April 30, 2008

Gershom Gorenberg

In recent years, conservative researcher and commentator Daniel Pipes has become a spokesman for fear of Islam. One of his most damaging efforts is chronicled in Andrea Elliott’s recent New York Times article, “Critics Cost Muslim Educator Her Dream School.” The piece describes the campaign that prevented Arab-American educator Debbie Almontaser from realizing her vision of creating a New York City charter school in which students would learn Arabic together.

Pipes’s other efforts [include preventing] such threats to Western civilization as allowing women-only hours at public swimming pools so that religious Muslim women can use them.

Almontaser is a moderate, pro-peace Muslim, a proponent of interfaith dialogue with Jews and Christians. Much as I’d like to meet her, I never have. Strangely, though, I once spent a day with Pipes. Read more…

Smearing Muslims

rachelfw — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:00:58 +0000

May 4, 2008

Eboo Patel

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read last week that Nelson Mandela was on the terrorism watch list.

At least Condeleeza Rice had the grace to call the situation “embarrassing”.

Daniel Pipes, who earns his living by making Americans scared of their Muslim neighbors, has no such decency.

I believe I stand with Debbie Almontaser, Nelson Mandela and the vast majority of humanity. What side are you on, Mr. Pipes?

I suppose there is a case to be made for a file to exist somewhere in the national security apparatus with the name “Mandela” on it. After all, he did co-found an organization, Spear of the Nation, that carried out violent actions as part of the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa, albeit a half century ago.

When Pipes puts someone on one of his lists, it isn’t about what you did, however long ago. It is about who you are – especially if you are an Arab or a Muslim. The story of how he derailed Debbie Almontaser’s career is just the most recent egregious example. Read more…