Very interesting and informative
Reader comment on item: Opponents Say Arab-Themed School in NYC is a 'Madrassa'

Submitted by There is NO Santa Claus (United States), Sep 19, 2007 at 21:49

I agree with Dr. Pipes that it is perfectly reasonable to teach Arabic in public schools. What sets this school apart and beyond a simple foreign language subject is the teaching of "Arab culture".

If the school were merely teaching Arabic language, I wonder if anyone would have had any objections. It is the additional charter of teaching Arab culture that opens this school to scrutiny on a whole list of concerns starting with traditional church/state separation issues and extending to the teaching of Pan-Arab and Islamist ideologies that Dr. Pipes clearly articulates.

One point was missed on a question that was asked of Dr. Pipes by a caller: Why the sensitivity?

I think somewhere in Dr. Pipes' response, he could have mentioned that the school is in New York City which was badly traumatized by Islamist terror on 9/11. Certainly, this had to play a part in the public concern about the school. If he mentioned it, I didn't notice.

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