I think that is a fair question.   

Unfortunately, one answer is to be found in the story that was in the
news yesterday about a young American educator, Debbie Almontaser, who a
few years back decided to start a new public school in New York City
that would promote dialogue and understanding of Muslim and Arabic
language and culture.   The school's students are half Islamic and half
others, and it teaches many languages and subjects.   But, she was
recently forced to resign, and the school seems to be in some jeopardy. 
 Apparently, she and the school fell victim to anti-Arab
sentiment--there was a lengthy and organized opposition to her and the
school, as somehow being linked to terrorism and "Islamic radicalism,"
though she seems to have been an Islamic moderate and a long-time
educator who grew up in this country and decided to honor her Islamic
heritage and Arabic language in this way.   

If someone can't even start a school to promote intercultural
understanding and learning, without provoking a right-wing
fundamentalist reaction like this, what hope is there?   If the response
to 9/11 is to generate witch hunts against schools that teach Arabic
among other languages, or target Muslim educators and their students,
who will speak up against it?   Apparently, there are some who have come
to the principal's and the school's defense--and she is now suing the
city over her forced resignation.   It's an interesting--and
disturbing--story.

You can read the articles about it and decide what you think, in
yesterday's New York Times, where you can access it at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/nyregion/28school.html?ex=1210132800&en=e2bee44f0b38881f&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Laurie



Laurie Sheridan, Workforce Development Coordinator
World Education/SABES Central Resource Center
44 Farnsworth St.
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 385-3737
lsheridan at worlded.org
 
SABES:  Training Leaders in Adult Basic Education 



>>> Ujwala Samant <lalumineuse at yahoo.com> 4/29/2008 12:11 PM >>>

And where were they during and after September 11th???

--- Evelyn Brown <EBrown at parkland.edu> wrote:


> Well said! Where are those people who are willing to

> do this "Speaking Out"?

> 

> Evelyn Brown

> Academic Development Specialist

> Parkland College

> 2400 West Bradley

> Champaign, IL 61821

> 217.351.2587 

> ebrown at parkland.edu 

> 

> >>> "Katherine" <kgotthardt at comcast.net> 4/29/2008

> 9:30 AM >>>

> "don't try to meddle with dearly held customs." 

> Come on Andrea.  Don't mess 

> with customs?  It's a custom in some cultures to be

> racist, sexist, 

> oppressive and hateful.  Should I leave that alone

> when it affects the 

> community I live in?  (Note, I am talking about

> changing the culture in the 

> United States from a destructive one to a productive

> one, not taking on 

> international customs.)

> 

> It is considered RADICAL to do this even if you

> follow the proper channels. 

> Consider the freedom of speech to which we are

> entitled.  Consider the ways 

> oppressive powers here in this country try to stifle

> freedom of speech when 

> it steps on political toes.  Is it not "radical" to

> fight this, especially 

> in this apathetic day and age?

> 

> In this culture, choosing to defy the rest and wear

> "nappy hair" can be 

> considered rebellious. Refusing to sit in the back

> of the bus was considered 

> a radical statement at the time.  What I am saying

> is that there are rules 

> and there are rules.  Sometimes, it takes very

> little rule and norm breaking 

> to make a statement and change the culture for the

> better.

> 

> Don't misunderstand me here.  Violence used as a

> mechanism for change is 

> never acceptable except as self defense against

> certain physical attack. 

> But recall our most famous "radicals" were people

> who just decided, "enough 

> is enough" and did something positive about it.

> 

> "At some point, silence is betrayal."  MLK broke the

> rules for the better. 

> I suggest more of us do as well.

> 

> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> www.luxuriouschoices.net 

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion

> List" 

> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:56 AM

> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2126] Re: Mastery

> 

> 

> > Katherine,

> >

> > Well, yes, that is one possible interpretation of

> what I am saying. I

> > am not   You must learn the native tongue.  I am

> not suggesting that

> > you support female genital mutilation,  however,

> only show a deecnt

> > respect for the local ways people follow to

> survive.

> >

> > An example:  richard CAsh, An American-trained

> public health doctor,

> > was not able to make inroads in the use of ORT

> (Oral Rehydration

> > Therapy) with communities in Bangladesh until

> ethnographers had studied

> > the problem, and he himself had worked with local

> people, had lived

> > with local people, eaten their food, essentially

> adapted to their ways.

> >  He and his colleagues are now considered experts

> in this field.  ORT

> > is a method of stopping life-threatening diarrhea

> through

> > administration of a mixture of salt and sugars

> dissolved in water.

> >

> > In my work on leadership succession, which I am

> drawing on here, and

> > which seems very applicable (the replacement of an

> authority figure)  I

> > found that the most successful people (authority

> figures) had 1)  the

> > skills the group needed, 2) had mastered the

> group's rules, and 3)  had

> > then been able to educate / change the group.  The

> most interesting

> > study I looked at was of kindergarten children,

> and  this study and all

> > other successful group studies I looked at,

> followed this pattern.

> >

> > People who work outside the rules are often

> "invisible" to members of

> > the group, as they don't old generally accepted

> positions in the group.

> >  So I guess I am saying, "Listen,  and adapt!"   I

> do mean that

> > literally--observe and learn, ask questions, show

> respect, don't try to

> > meddle with dearly held customs.  Example:  check

> local customs before

> > going into the bazaar in an American dress and

> uncovered arms and legs!

> >

> > However,  adaptation can be unhappy.  In the

> American situation, look

> > at nappy hair, or rather its lack by

> African-American women and men who

> > have their hair "pressed" to flatten it,, to look

> more acceptable and

> > white.   This a sad adaptation, but seemingly

> necessary in an era when

> > nappy hair was looked down on and is an example in

> my view of

> > identification with the oppressor..

> >

> > Andrea

> >

> > .On Apr 28, 2008, at 9:30 PM, Katherine wrote:

> >

> >> Andrea, are you suggesting we can't do good in

> the world unless we

> >> follow

> >> the rules?

> >>

> >> "Well behaved women rarely make history."

> >>

> >> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

> >> www.luxuriouschoices.net 

> >> ----- Original Message -----

> >> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

> >> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy

> Discussion List"

> >> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

> >> Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 8:47 PM

> >> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2119] Re: Mastery

> >>

> >>

> >>> Ujwala--

> >>>

> >>> Greg Mortenson of "Three Cups of Tea" succeeded

> because he was able to

> >>> learn the rules, I think his story is pretty

> dramatic;  shows what can

> >>> be accomplished when some one has the diligence

> and desire to learn

> >>> how

> >>> to behave properly in order to get a job done.

> >>>

> >>> Andrea

> >>>

> >>>

> >>> On Apr 28, 2008, at 6:18 PM, Ujwala Samant

> wrote:

> >>>

> >>>> Just noted a typo my post. It should read, "We

> call

> >>>> people by their first names." Or, "It's normal

> to call

> >>>> people by their first names."

> >>>> Ujwala

> >>>> --- Daniel Rizik-Baer <drizikbaer at gmail.com>

> wrote:

> >>>>

> >>>>> Ujwala-

> >>>>>

> >>>>> "> I think everyone knows the hidden rules,

> they are

> >>>>>> just not in plain site.

> >>>>>> Knowing that they are there is a big step

> towards

> >>>>>> understanding.<<

> >>>>>

> >>>>> I think there is a huge leap of faith in the

> first

> >>>>> statement. Rules are learned, through

> observation,

> >>>>> education and interaction. How many of our

> learners

> >>>>> have positive, direct, educational interaction

> upon

> 

=== message truncated ===



     
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