Anti-Muslim sentiment is raging out of control! Will the Islamophobia never end? If it weren't for the raging hated sweeping our land, there would surely have been millions for this program, not a measly $888,000.
"Arabic classes coming to three more Chicago schools," by Fran Spielman for the Chicago Sun-Times, November 9 (thanks to Choi):
The Chicago public schools will expand its Arabic-language program to three more high schools, thanks to a three-year, $888,000 federal grant announced this morning.Mayor Daley accepted the grant at Durkin Park Elementary School, 8445 S. Kolin, as he rejected suggestions that the Fort Hood, Texas, massacre could lead to an outbreak of anti-Muslim sentiment.
"I don't think so," Daley said. "Every day, in society, someone's being killed . . . . You don't blame a group, you don't blame a society or an immigrant community because of the actions of one group or one individual. You cannot say that."
Already, Arabic is offered at three Chicago high schools -- Lincoln Park, Roosevelt and Lindblom.
It's also offered at seven Chicago elementary schools -- Durkin Park, Agassiz, Belding, LaSalle Language Academy II, Marquette Tech and Volta.
In all, about 2,000 students take Arabic in Chicago's schools.
The new federal grant, on top of $1.6 million in state and federal funds the schools already have gotten, will fund the expansion to three additional high schools that have yet to be identified....
Great, and the students get what out of this?
Arabic is not a language of business, not a language of literature or academics, not an international language in the normal sense like French.
Arabic is only useful for hanging out in mohammedan countries, becoming a mohammedan or working for a middle-east oriented oil company.
So the point of teaching this to American public school students is what exactly?
"Arabic Classes" = Dawa, pure and simple. Just wait and see...
I wonder what classics of Arab lit they will use to learn with???
Great, and the students get what out of this?
Arabic is not a language of business, not a language of literature or academics, not an international language in the normal sense like French.
Arabic is only useful for hanging out in mohammedan countries, becoming a mohammedan or working for a middle-east oriented oil company.
So the point of teaching this to American public school students is what exactly?
I wonder what classics of Arab lit they will use to learn with???
Why, what else but the KKKorant. The Arabs have absolutely nothing else to contribute to enlightened cultures.
You are forgetting the suicide belt.
Do we really need more people with the skills to misunderstand the Koran? What timing! It's like saying were sorry for being Infidels after letting us become victims of the Jihad.
I actually think this is a good thing. We desperately need more non-Muslims who know Arabic, so they can translate what the terrorists are saying.
I'm just reading "Infiltration" and it documents how several Muslim translators have inaccurately translated communications, or tipped off those being surveilled.
Also, as Jon Stewart of the Daily Show put it "Waterboarding may make suspects talk, but it isn't going to make them talk English!"
Do we really need more people with the skills to misunderstand the Koran? What timing! It's like saying were sorry for being Infidels after letting us become victims of the Jihad.
"I wonder what classics of Arab lit they will use to learn with???" -- Islam_Macht_Frei
Hmmm...Good question...thinking...thinking...
Actually, offering Arabic language classes would not be a problem at all were it just another language. There is literature to study available besides the Qur'an (Omar Kayyam, etc.), although I imagine the offerings are very small in comparison to other major world languages. There is no literature, none, in science or mathematics beyond thousand-year-old manuscripts, and these would not be suitable for a curriculum such as this. And one can guess, with near certainty of its being true, that the curriculum will be set by the usual suspects with an agenda who won't be able to resist using it as a vehicle for da'wa. It's likely there will be no oversight to ensure that the curriculum is kept free of religious or political overtones (is that even possible in Arabic? Someone who knows please comment on this.).
Foreign language classes that I have taken always included many elements set in the cultural context of the host country in which the language is spoken. For Arabic it would seem likely that this would include some aspect of Islam. How could it be otherwise? But will this include learning that Arabic is not just another language, but "believed by millions of speakers" to be the language of God and therefore superior to all the rest? Will it present in approving tones the Five Pillars, and the concepts of the inferiority of women, that Jews and Christians are apes and pigs and not to be trusted or taken as friends? The list is long.
There is a case to be made that Arabic would be useful to know for many reasons, including business, and knowledge of it would be useful for anyone wanting to study abroad in any Arabic speaking country, and it would be a necessity in a number of professions such as philology, archeology, sociology, and for translators and diplomats, and in missionary work. The problem is to separate the language from its Islamic embedding, or rather, to strip Islam from the language, but as with most people here I suspect that the two are so joined at the hip that this will not be possible. Rather, the curriculum will become a vehicle for conducting stealth da'wa in some form, a way to impress Islamic and shariah concepts upon young minds. Will there be oversight to ensure that this does not occur? Somehow I doubt that there is anyone who is proposing that this is even necessary, and if someone were to do so he would immediately be branded as a hate monger, Islamophobe, and racist. And even if by chance such a board did manage to be established its effectiveness would be blunted by the PC MC requirement that members from the very same group that needs to be monitored be included on it, thus blunting its effectiveness.
"I wonder what classics of Arab lit they will use to learn with???" -- Islam_Macht_Frei
Not Aladdin, certainly. Maybe the story of Ali Cogia or Ali Baba? Who wrote "The Arabian Nights"? Most of the stories were centered around Baghdad in the era of Haroun al-Raschid. At least one, Ali Cogia, referenced Islam.
well considering in the EU by the time the kid hit g12 most can speak some what at least 3 different languages i would rather see them start in grade 1 start to learn say German .Japanese and Spanish or Mandarin 3 languages that are used in commerce but Arabic na not much use heck even in the madrassa they learn it by rote and dont understand what they are reading or chanting
"Already, Arabic is offered at three Chicago high schools -- Lincoln Park, Roosevelt and Lindblom.
It's also offered at seven Chicago elementary schools -- Durkin Park, Agassiz, Belding, LaSalle Language Academy II, Marquette Tech and Volta."
This is AMERICAN TAXPAYERS,under the VEIL of "Cultural Diversity ",ASSISTING the NEXT GENERATION OF JIHADIS!
Arabic "classes" TAUGHT BY WHOM?
What ELSE will THEY be Teaching as they "Teach Arabic" to Young minds.
Also ,the School selection is equivalent to sending Ice to Alaska in January:
Volta Elementary School:
Located in the Albany Park Neighborhood of Chicago,with Chicago's second Largest concentration of Palestinians and other Arabs and a SHORT distance to a HUGE MOSQUE.
Good Bet these $$$$will WIND UP IN THAT MOSQUE,"somehow".
Marquette Tech DOESN'T EXIST and the "Chicago Sun-Times" SHOULD Know that.
What DOES EXIST is a "Marquette Elementary School" located in the "Marquette Park-Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side, Home to Chicago's LARGEST Palestinian & Arab Community and Adjoining Bridgeview and its Palestinian/Arab/Muslim population and the "Bridgeview Mosque Foundation"and OTHER Islamic entities.
TWICE CONVICTED(Israel and U.S.) HAMAS TERRORIST Mohammed Saleh WAS BASED THERE.
Roosevelt H.S. is in "Albany Park" and Lindblom H.S. is on The Southwest Side in proximity to THAT Arab Community.
Lincoln Park High School is a real Shocker in this,as it is located in Chicago's Old Town /Lincoln Park area and the majority of its students come from HIGHLY AFFLUENT families.
"Already, Arabic is offered at three Chicago high schools -- Lincoln Park, Roosevelt and Lindblom.
It's also offered at seven Chicago elementary schools -- Durkin Park, Agassiz, Belding, LaSalle Language Academy II, Marquette Tech and Volta."
This is AMERICAN TAXPAYERS,under the VEIL of "Cultural Diversity ",ASSISTING the NEXT GENERATION OF JIHADIS!
Arabic "classes" TAUGHT BY WHOM?
What ELSE will THEY be Teaching as they "Teach Arabic" to Young minds.
Also ,the School selection is equivalent to sending Ice to Alaska in January:
Volta Elementary School:
Located in the Albany Park Neighborhood of Chicago,with Chicago's second Largest concentration of Palestinians and other Arabs and a SHORT distance to a HUGE MOSQUE.
Good Bet these $$$$will WIND UP IN THAT MOSQUE,"somehow".
Marquette Tech DOESN'T EXIST and the "Chicago Sun-Times" SHOULD Know that.
What DOES EXIST is a "Marquette Elementary School" located in the "Marquette Park-Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side,Home to Chicago's LARGEST Palestinian & Arab Community and Adjoining Bridgeview and its Palestinian/Arab/Muslim population and the "Bridgeview Mosque Foundation"and OTHER Islamic entities.
Roosevelt H.S. is in "Albany Park" and Lindblom H.s. is on The Southwest Side in proximity to THAT Arab Community.
Lincoln Park High School is a real Shocker in this,as it is located in Chicago's Old Town /Lincoln Park are and who the majority of students come from HIGHLY AFFLUENT families.
CHOI | November 9, 2009 2:26 PM
"Already, Arabic is offered at three Chicago high schools -- Lincoln Park, Roosevelt and Lindblom.
It's also offered at seven Chicago elementary schools -- Durkin Park, Agassiz, Belding, LaSalle Language Academy II, Marquette Tech and Volta."
This is AMERICAN TAXPAYERS,under the VEIL of "Cultural Diversity ",ASSISTING the NEXT GENERATION OF JIHADIS!
Arabic "classes" TAUGHT BY WHOM?
What ELSE will THEY be Teaching as they "Teach Arabic" to Young minds.
Also ,the School selection is equivalent to sending Ice to Alaska in January:
Volta Elementary School:
Located in the Albany Park Neighborhood of Chicago,with Chicago's second Largest concentration of Palestinians and other Arabs and a SHORT distance to a HUGE MOSQUE.
Good Bet these $$$$will WIND UP IN THAT MOSQUE,"somehow".
Marquette Tech DOESN'T EXIST and the "Chicago Sun-Times" SHOULD Know that.
What DOES EXIST is a "Marquette Elementary School" located in the "Marquette Park-Chicago Lawn neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side,Home to Chicago's LARGEST Palestinian & Arab Community and Adjoining Bridgeview and its Palestinian/Arab/Muslim population and the "Bridgeview Mosque Foundation"and OTHER Islamic entities.
Roosevelt H.S. is in "Albany Park" and Lindblom H.s. is on The Southwest Side in proximity to THAT Arab Community.
Lincoln Park High School is a real Shocker in this,as it is located in Chicago's Old Town /Lincoln Park are and who the majority of students come from HIGHLY AFFLUENT families.
Sorry for the multiples
Accidental
I dissent, friends. Methinks that the FBI wants home-grown Americans who can do the intelligence work on potential threats. I can read and translate Chinese in both the traditional and simplified scripts, but I am no Communist.
Agreed.
And as for literature, I recall hearing a lecture by Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali in which he remarked that there is actually quite an extensive body of *Christian* writings in Arabic - theological, apologetic, devotional - produced by the Arabic-speaking dhimmi Christian communities. In the modern period there are Christian worship songs - in Arabic - produced both by the traditional christians and by converts from Islam. The Copts speak Egyptian Arabic and have done so for at least two centuries, I think, so Coptic Christian writings of all descriptions both secular and theological/ devotional would be available for students to use as sample texts.
It seems to me that those who see Arabic as somehow irredeemably corrupted by its association with Islam, do also need to get their heads around the fact that the *Bible* has been translated quite accurately, more than once, into Arabic, both classical and colloquial; it is also being put into the different regional dialects, such as are used in North Africa. The new Muslim-background-believers in Algeria worship in three languages: French, their local dialect of Arabic, and Berber.
All roads lead back to Chicago!~
Great, now they can read the Quran in its original language and work as translators in the global jihad. I just hope it's on our side :)
http://go.to/islamhistory
If Americans cared all that much about actually educating children they would all be given Greek and Latin from grade school.
A light dose perhaps, but enough to key up their recognition of the roots of words and gain some light familiarity with the classics. Largely to prepare them for further study if they have the desire and aptitude -- somebody has to do the job of preserving our cultural roots. And the rest of us need to know enough to support them.
Then in high school follow that up with some modern European language. Again, just enough to get them started and prepared and introduced to some basic literature. Very much a part of the western cultural heritage.
Then in college, bring in the Asian languages, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean. Again a starter to get them at least prepared to deal with thinkers and business people from those parts of the world, who we do business with constantly. Also to give them a tiny taste of some other literary traditions, at least a notion of classics outside of Greece and Rome.
Somewhere in there it might also be advisable to give some of them the opportunity to learn Hebrew. We forget that Jewish literature was also a significant influence in the development of American and indeed western culture. How many people do you know who can actually read the Bible in the original language? It was a popular and respected field of study in the time of the American founders -- and this is American education we're talking about here.
Those measures would produce some pretty well rounded people -- and more receptive to the acquisition of a wide range of cultural knowledge.
Except for fighting the jihaddis, working in the oil business and some rather arcane academic pursuits, I don't see how learning Arabic helps. There's just not that much to read and not that many reasons to talk to people in that language.
No reason to actually stop people from learning it. On the contrary. If for military reasons alone we need more people adept in Arabic. But also no reason to waste public school resources teaching it -- especially before college age.
It's too far off the basic requirements and goals of education.
Who is doing the teaching?