your concern would be more greatly appreciated if:

a. you truly had an issue with publicly funded schools proseltyzing to students.

b. this was really gonna be an islamic school.

according to an article about both the kgia and a charter hebrew school set to open at the same time in florida,'the jewish week' reports:

Backers of both the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, a high school, and the Ben Gamla Charter School in Hollywood, Fla., which will offer kindergarten through eighth-grade classes, insist they will keep religious ideology and prayer out of the classroom, but there are plenty of skeptics.

“Islam tends to be closely connected with Arab culture,” said Robert Boston, a spokesman for the Washington-based Americans United For Separation of Church and State. “Obviously [the New York] school would have to examine religion, but it must do so from an objective standpoint. In other words, teaching about religion is acceptable, but not proselytizing.”

Boston said his group was more concerned about the Florida Hebrew school than about the New York Arabic school.

“They are talking very openly about the study of Hebrew as a way of sort of initiating religion,” said Boston. “Clearly, that’s not the kind of curriculum we expected from public schools.”

Perhaps ironically, the Arabic school has more backing from the organized Jewish community. Three rabbis serve on its board, and the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, Joel Levy, has written letters in defense of its principal, Dharan Almontaser, who has been active in interfaith coalitions.

“The school’s Arabic language requirement, combined with conflict resolution and international diplomacy training, opens the possibility of creating a well-informed generation of leaders,” Levy wrote to the New York Sun. ADL is providing its World Of Difference curriculum, designed for addressing prejudice, to the school.

In Florida, however, the Jewish Federation of Broward County and the local ADL chapter have brought their concerns before the school board that has yet to approve the Ben Gamla school, which is named for a first-century rabbi who is credited with establishing public schools in ancient Israel.

“Our concern is that when you say you are going to teach Hebrew in the context of both Israeli and Jewish culture, you have to be very careful to ensure that the line crossing church and state is not blurred,” the ADL’s Florida regional director, Andrew Rosenkranz told The Sun.

The difference, says ADL National Director, Abraham Foxman, is that the Arabic school will be completely run by the New York City Department of Education, while the Hebrew school is a charter school that must be approved by local school authorities, but will be run independently with minimal outside input.

“We are not opposed to either school, but we are asking questions,” said Foxman. “In New York the school will be run by the board of education and will be subject to all kinds of restrictions. We know what the board of education does and the parameters, the responsibility and accountability. So we want to give them an opportunity to set this up and we’ll be watching.

“That’s not what’s happening in Florida,” Foxman continued. “[There], a group of like-minded individuals got together and said this is what they want to do. The questions are much more profound.”

Insisting he wasn’t drawing a comparison with the Ben Gamla school, Foxman said “What if the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan decided to set up a charter school to study Islam? We would ask serious questions.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education, Melody Meyer, said the Gibran Academy is being set up in partnership with an outside agency, New Visions in Public Schools, a privately funded agency that, according to its Web site, develops programs and policies to energize teaching and learning and to raise the level of student achievement.

But the curriculum will be set up by the DOE and all teachers will be certified and members of the United Federation of Teachers, as in any other public school, she said.

The Florida charter school was spearheaded by former Florida Rep. Peter Deutsch, an ex-New Yorker who gave up his Broward seat to run for Senate in 2005. He told the New York Sun that he has met with philanthropist Michael Steinhardt to discuss opening a similar school in New York.

Meyer, the DOE spokesperson, said no application for a charter school specializing in Hebrew had been submitted by the June 1 deadline for consideration for the school year beginning in September 2008.

New York City also has public schools specializing in Russian, French, Spanish and Japanese language and culture. But only the Arabic school has prompted an outcry.

less hysteria, more reason

I am opposed to federal or state funding for any religious activity. We have enough problems to spend our money on: aging infrastructure, aging population, wars and potential for wars all over the place, and health gone amok.

My sense is this is an issue only because there are Muslims involved. And every Muslim is suspect of late. Just like every Japanese during WW II and every Jew in Germany in the 1930s.

If we want prayer and religion in schools and we want to fund those things with tax dolloars, then we need to be across the religious board with the dollars. I really don't think tax dollars for Witches and Wiccans, Islamists, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Jews, Native American Churches, and the Heinz 57 Christian POVs would fly.

See ya!

I'm against schools.

I really don't think tax dollars for Witches and Wiccans, Islamists, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Jews, Native American Churches, and the Heinz 57 Christian POVs would fly.

well maybe for the witches.......if they had the right broom!

I'm against Federally funded schools, period.

I'm against schools.

I think you two are onto something. I say let's just do away with them all, give the money back to the taxpayers and let the private schools flourish. You can have your liberal schools, your conservative schools or your religious schools...take your pick.

New York City also has public schools specializing in Russian, French, Spanish and Japanese language and culture. But only the Arabic school has prompted an outcry.

Kingbee

Learning a language is one thing no matter the language. That's not the same as this new school here in NY. The whole school is geared towards teaching Arabic culture, not just a langauage as the other public schools do.

Also you mentioned a charter school in Florida? Well a charter school is not the same as a public school. From what I understand a charter school is NOT funded with tax payer dollars. I would say a charter school is more in line with a private school than a federally funded public school.

In fact, they are. See: WWW Link which states:

As public schools, charter schools are funded through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars. Different than non-charter public schools, though, charters have the freedom to determine how to spend their funds – in exchange for being held accountable for their academic, fiscal, and operational results.

Here's an idea that would put the real agenda of the school to the test. After it opens, go to the school and hand out Arabic Language copies of the Holy Bible. If all they are doing is teaching Arabic Culture and Language, that should be fine with them.

I don't think this would prove your point. I'd have a problem with anyone handing out the Holy Bible in any public school. Unless it is being taught as part of the curriculum. I mean, how would you feel if someone went around and started distributing the Qu'ran in public schools?

Ok, good point so instead of just handing out Arabic Language Holy Bibles, hand out copies of The Holy Qu'ran also. Then see if the school complains at both, or just the Holy Bible.

You bring up another good point... in the school, will The Holy Qu'ran be part of the curicullum?

if the rabbis on the board don't complain about both, they should be fired along with the rest of the staff.

what's the difference between a holy bible and a holy quran and the standard editions?

The point is, if they are merely schools of Arabic studies they will either ask that neither book be handed out, or they won't mind either, since they could be used equally in various classes. On the other hand, if they reject the Holy Bible, but don't mind someone handing out The Holy Qu'ran, then we know all we need to.

You know all you need to do what? Reinforce your own suspicions that people who go to Arabic schools are more likely to be Muslims than Christians?

You bring up another good point... in the school, will The Holy Qu'ran be part of the curicullum?

You brought up good points Para and I agree with you. We'll have to stay tuned to see if the Qu'ran is used. At this point in time I assumed it was because their religion is so intertwined with their history and culture. How can you teach this without using their Holy Book? It would be the same with Christians. To effectively teach Christian teaching and history the bible has to be used. Right now Christian History can't be taught outside of hit and run teaching because of this. So in effect schools just stay away from this topic altogether pretty much now.

I recently read an article from "Israel My Glory" on this subject but can't find it right now. The author, a Muslim who converted to Christianity said this school was a very bad idea. I can't remember his exact reasoning but he didn't like the idea of this. I'm still looking for the article.

As a tool for teaching history the bible is somewhat lacking. Its usefulness as an ancient source is reasonable, but frankly the Egyptians, Greeks, Indians and Chinese were doing much more interesting things at that time.

The new testament is particularly useless for history - nearly everything historically relevant is covered by the Romans or the old Chinese and Indian writers.



My guess is that it probably will be, it would depend on if the school gets Saudi funding. If it gets Saudi funding it'll be everything you fear; if not it'll probably just be a decent school with a strong Arabic studies division.

I don't think so at all. Much of the OT deals with history. We have the Egyptians, the Persians, the Babylonians, we see Alexander the Great, we see Ramses,Cyrus, we see the Assyrians etc. The judges and Kings during the Jews days are very interesting.

I agree it doesn't cover the the Chinese, Japenese, Russia, etc. but what it does cover is not only fascinating but also these people,places and events have been proven by secular history. Some of this history explains the root of all those countries not mentioned. For instance Ham, Shem and Japeth (sons of Noah) went on to seed the African, Middle East and Europeans. The geneologies are all mentioned and these names were matched with literal places.



Are you a professional historian?

The Book of Acts once considered suspect has been vindicated by modern discoveries. Roman historian A. N. Sherwin-White says:

"For Acts the confirmation of historicity is overwhelming. Any attempt to reject its basic historicity even in matters of detail must now appear absurd. Roman historians have long taken it for granted."

Sir William Ramsay is regarded as one of the greatest archaeologists ever. He was a student in the German historical school of the mid-nineteenth century. He believed that the Book of Acts was a product of the mid second century AD. He was firmly convinced. In his research to make a topographical study of Asia Minor he had to consider the writings of Luke. As a result he was forced to do a complete reversal of his beliefs due to overwhelming evidence uncovered in his research. He said:

"I may fairly claim to have entered on this investigation without prejudice in favor of the conclusion which I shall now seek to justify to the reader. On the contrary, I began with a mind unfavorable to it, for the ingenuity and apparent completeness of the Tubingen theory had at one time quite convinced me. It did not then lie in my line of life to investigate the subject minutely; but more recently I found myself brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography antiquites and society of Asia Minor. It was gradually borne upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth. In fact, beginning with a fixed idea that the work was essentially a second century composition, and never relying on its evidence as trustworthy for first century conditions, I gradually came to find it a useful ally in some obscure and difficult investtigations."

So Ramsay concluded after 30 years of study that "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy...this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians." He also said, "Luke's history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness."

The testimony of the historical evidence is that the Bible can be trusted as an accurate historical document.

sources:

Ramsey, W. M. The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1953

Ramsey, W. M. St Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen, Grand Rapids; Baker Book House, 1962

where is there actual proof of that seeding? when exactly did the flood occur?