MAS petition for elective Arabic instruction

Why is the NY DOE not supporting the creation of an elective language course through out the school system rather than creating a whole school to teach that elective language?

WHO is influencing our DOE to create this school?

Certainly not the parents nor the taxpayers… These people are being ignored.

Perhaps there are answers to that question in North Carolina. Learning Arabic in itself should not be of concern to anyone but perhaps it’s not simply about learning French or Spanish. How it’s taught is of concern.

It would seem that North Carolina has been pressured through the PC prism to offer Arabic so their students may enter the”GLOBAL arena” and learn to accept “NEW cultures”. But it would also appear (judging by the end of this letter)that MAS (Muslim American Society) is more likely concerned with the children of Arab immigrants. Possibly they fear assimilation; seeing second and third generations become AMERICANS as an ‘undesirable’.

Is that why they stress learning Arabic also means learning “culturally inherent differences”; to “grow socially” so they will be “building a new citizenry” of students who will “revere” the language and “grow culturally”?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Arabic Language Elective in NC High Schools

RALEIGH, NC – July 5, 2007 (MASNET) The Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, North Carolina is committed to advocating the teaching of Arabic language into our public high schools and would appreciate your support!

In addition we are promoting pedagogy-based professional development for teachers of Arabic language to introduce traditional and contemporary considerations for effective curriculum planning, design and development as applied to teaching Arabic in the U.S.

Programs have already been established in many New York, Michigan and Illinois high schools and the State of North Carolina should be petitioned to follow their examples.

The American educational system gives you an option of learning a language as a high school requirement. Students take two to four years of a foreign language in order to graduate. We should take advantage of the system to include Arabic as part of that repertoire.

Please sign the following petition and show your support for Arabic in North Carolina public schools.

Sign here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/yesarabic/

Dear North Carolina State Board of Education,

Islamic communities in North Carolina, as well as across the United States, and supporters of diverse pedagogy believe in the importance of cultivating a true appreciation for cultural, ethnic and linguistic diversity. We wish to advance these ideas and encourage students to view culturally inherent differences as building blocks rather than barriers and offer challenging opportunities to explore and grow both academically and socially. With this in mind Muslim American Society, North Carolina Chapter would like to encourage our state leaders in education to present it students with the opportunity and option of learning Arabic in its high schools. In addition to academic advancement, building a citizenry open to new thoughts, ideas and experiences, ready to operate and succeed in major global arenas – economic, political and social is among valued goals.

MAS Freedom Foundation is striving to make Arabic as prevalent in the United States as Spanish, or at least as commonplace as French, and German.

The necessity for a greater number of Arabic speakers is obvious, given the amount of trade the United States does with countries in the Middle East and that region’s growing economic importance in world trade. Many large companies have economic interest there, and knowledge of Arabic language is often a prerequisite.

While many Arab nations have gone to great lengths to introduce English in their countries, the United States is still behind in following suit with Arabic. However, there are a growing number of colleges and universities that have included Arabic as part of their curriculum, including e.g., North Carolina State University, UNC and Meredith College. Unfortunately (??) there are high schools that teach Arabic, not even in regions that have high concentrations of Arab-Americans such as Wake and Mecklenburg County. With substantial support, MAS Freedom Foundation hoping to induce your consideration of having Arabic offered in high schools in the same manner that Spanish, German and French languages are normal parts of the high school curriculum.

While we clearly acknowledge the importance of teaching Spanish, we must question why Arabic courses aren’t at least as prevalent as German and French, given the large number of countries where Arabic is the primary language. An estimated 1.2 billion people including 22 Arab countries revere (??)Arabic, as opposed to roughly 100 million German speakers around the world.

The American educational system gives you an option of learning a language as a high school requirement. Students take two to four years of a foreign language in order to graduate. We should take advantage of the system to include Arabic as part of that repertoire.

According to the United States census, there are about 14 million people including Muslims (80%), interested in Arabic Language in the United States. Consequently, the school systems should reflect that diversity in their curriculum.

As Arab nations gain more of a global presence, especially in non-oil related economic areas, knowing Arabic and understanding the Arab culture will be more valuable for American businesses seeking to tap that growing market.

While the U.S. has lagged in introducing Arabic and in recognizing its importance in future ties with the Middle East, European countries have not. History and proximity are a factor. Europeans are more apt to learn new languages, since many European countries require their students to learn several languages.

Getting Arabic into American schools will be a more difficult task, but it could prove to be beneficial. Knowledge of Arabic will promote investments here since there are a lot of revenues from oil. The lack of knowledge has stagnated investments into this country.

With regards to cultural sensitivity bias against Arabs continues to permeate American media and other influential groups. But as the internet in Arabic script becomes more prominent in Arab countries, the use of Arabic will be more prominent in international trade and social relations.

Beyond a potential economic benefit, a growing number of organizations are promoting Arabic education as a way to promote diversity and cultivate Muslim traditions and Arab culture in second and third generation Arab-Americans.

Sincerely,

Ms. Khalilah Sabra

Director- North Carolina

Muslim American Society (MAS), Freedom Foundation