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Reader comment on:
Brooklyn Arabic School

Submitted by Ian, Sep 4, 2007 13:18

While I can't speak specifically to the individuals chosen to be involved in the school, accept to say that hopefully on such a vital issue as those who we deem worthy to influence our childrens' lives on a daily basis, regardless of what language they speak, our government would do the due dilligence that is necessary.

More to the point however is this school points out a vital flaw in the American education system and method by which we teach. our ethno-centric and politically correct versions of history present a flawed representation of our past and tend to gloss over the horrors the world has seen. We hear of Hitler's totalitarian regime and his campaign of genocide against the jews but whats not focused on enough is how he was able to come to power as a democratically elected leader, the space between democracy and totality only margins away from one another. We teach our children that we dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki but do not show our kids the pictures and horrors that those bombs caused or emphasize how America continues to claim the moral high ground on nuclear weapons while remaining the only country to ever use them. We focus on genocide from Hitler and Stalin all the way up to Malosovich, but paint America's campaign west as part of a 'manifest destiny' but gloss over the civilizations of Native American's destroyed in the process. After this type of ethnocentrism in our education is there any question why we turn a cold shoulder to genocide in Darfur.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
this is a great idea i think every school should provide these services all children should learn different culture and... [MORE]	Ms Palermo	Nov 23, 2007 09:04
While I can't speak specifically to the individuals chosen to be involved in the school, accept to say that hopefully...	Ian	Sep 4, 2007 13:18
At a time when the public school system is so under-funded, why does what is basically a private school qualify... [MORE]	BSI	Aug 17, 2007 10:25
I was as disturbed to learn about the Khahil Gibran School as I was to learn about the Hellenic Classical... [MORE]	Assemblyman Michael Benjamin	Jun 28, 2007 13:35
I agree with the Assemblyman, Michael Benjamin! We are being extremely (& sometimes pathetically) careful not to offend ANYONE!!! We... [MORE]	Patricia Vasenius	Jul 18, 2007 02:25
Your editorialist and many of the readers responding to the editorial seem to be confused about the nature of Arabs... [MORE]	Dave Hall	May 17, 2007 22:27
I completely agree with Dave Hall. Arab does not equal Muslim, and yes, the author and readers are definately confused... [MORE]	HMG	Jun 19, 2007 12:11
It seems the same principles apply here as in the upstate Kiryas Joel case, which involved public funding of a... [MORE]	David	May 17, 2007 11:45
David...Should Public Money be spent on learning the French Language? [MORE]	M.M	Aug 20, 2007 23:18
The Sun's extensive coverage of this school implies that it is some sort of quasi-religious institution, akin to a yeshiva... [MORE]	Tim Geoghegan	May 8, 2007 22:37
To: The Editors I agree with you unequivocally. Furthermore, because we have such divisiveness growing--we need our children (future leaders) to... [MORE]	Nancy Joyce Jancourtz	May 8, 2007 14:38
No tax revenues should be used to establish schools for specific religious or cultural accomodation. If the district sees fit... [MORE]	John Bryan	May 8, 2007 10:23
No public funds for religious schools. We want our kids to grow up together - not separate. Same for christain... [MORE]	steve	May 8, 2007 11:04
This is a school with a cultural focus, which allows students of a variety of races and religions to learn... [MORE]	Karen Vaughan	Jun 18, 2007 13:47
Is this the way to best help the immigrant assimilate into this society? I've taught for 32 years in middle... [MORE]	RJC	May 8, 2007 08:46
My grandparents came to this country through Ellis Island from Russia with the children they had at that time. They... [MORE]	Dorothy Wachsstock	May 8, 2007 13:36

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