City Hall Is Site of Clash Over Khalil Gibran

A dispute over the city's new Arabic-language public school escalated yesterday, when a press conference on the steps of City Hall brought supporters and opponents of the school face-to-face. The Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn has drawn passionate protest and support since its creation last year, all centered on the school's mission to teach Arabic language and culture alongside a traditional American curriculum.

Yesterday, opponents of Khalil Gibran said the school is "in chaos" and that it is at risk of becoming a mouthpiece for violent radical Islamic ideology. They said they are going to court to force the Department of Education to turn over documents proving the school's curriculum is safe and reasonable, as the city has been arguing.

The press conference turned into a commotion of shouting matches when supporters of the school, who came with cameras and a press release of their own, began firing back and accusing the school's opponents of bigotry.

"Did we invite you here?" a leader of the group opposing the school, Stuart Kaufman, asked supporters.

Moments later, a co-founder of the Center for Immigrant Families, Donna Nevel, a supporter of the school, ran after a member of the Stop the Madrassa Coalition, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, as he left the press conference.

"As a Jew to another Jew, you should be ashamed of yourself," Ms. Nevel said to Mr. Wiesenfeld, a trustee of the City University of New York.

Mr. Wiesenfeld had said that Khalil Gibran represents a disturbing national trend of Arab-Americans failing to assimilate into American culture.

"It's no different from cab drivers in Minnesota who refuse to pick up passengers bearing liquor. It's no different from the special provision of Islamic footbaths in universities," he said.

Supporters of Khalil Gibran acknowledged that the school is struggling, but they said they are pleased it exists for the sake of Arab immigrants and other students who want to learn about Arabic culture.