Middle East studies in the News

A Win for Common Sense [on Dhabah "Debbie" Almontaser, incl. Khalil Gibran International Academy]

by Editorial
The New York Post
September 5, 2009

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/win_for_common_sense_8zUupra0ulHj3rc9l03vzH

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/8243

Debbie Almontaser, the former princi pal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, an Arabic-language and -culture school in Brooklyn, saw her suit against the city dismissed Tuesday.

It was a win for common sense.

Two years ago, Almontaser tried to justify use of the phrase "intifada NYC" on T-shirts made by a women's group with which she was loosely connected.

In an interview with The Post, Almontaser claimed that "intifada" -- used by Palestinians to identify two violent uprisings in Israel in the 1980s and '90s -- merely meant "shaking off."

Realizing that more than a few New Yorkers might not have such an anodyne understanding of "intifada" -- and repelled by Almontaser's defense of it -- the Department of Education recognized that she had no business heading the academy.

Shortly after resigning, Almontaser sued, claiming her First Amendment rights had been violated.

Federal Judge Sidney Stein rightly threw out the case -- affirming the city's right to dismiss an administrator who wasn't representing one of its public schools in an acceptable manner.

Here's hoping that's the end of it.

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

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