By Back to school is a difficult time for everyone. There’s lots of adjusting going on, the sunlight hours are getting shorter, and people are protesting language programs. That’s right, not even learning is safe anymore.
This week a group of protestors held up signs to show their anger that the Houston Independent School District was sending 132 toddlers to a brand new Arabic immersion program. One sign read, “Everything I needed to learn about Islam I learned from Muslims on 9/11”. So to be clear people are not upset about the actual tenets of this program people are upset because #Muslims.
The school hosting the bilingual program is the Arabic Immersion Magnet School and will teach classes half in English and the other half in Arabic. Because this is not a religious school at all, none of the children will be getting an Islamic education nor will they be reading the Qur’an to learn their alif, ba, ta’s (if you took an Arabic immersion class then you would get that joke). I mean let’s be serious here, no one is looking to teach children ancient Quranic Arabic when most of the Arabic speaking population today functions on Modern Standard Arabic. But bigots don’t make that distinction do they?
“Everything I needed to learn about Islam I learned from Muslims on 9/11”
So let’s lay out some facts here. Muslims are not the only people in the world who speak Arabic. In fact, out of the entire Muslim population of the world, only 20% can speak the language.
In the Houston area, Arabic is the second most spoken foreign language at home behind Spanish. The second MOST spoken language.
It has been proven time and time again by scientists and researchers that bilingual education at a young age serves to increase brain functionality later in life. Children who can master multiple languages like Spanish or Arabic or Mandarin are going to be adults that will stand a better chance in the job market. Do these protesters not want our children to succeed?
Learning a new language also opens students up to new cultures. Arab culture is incredibly diverse and encapsulates several different countries and yes, it also encapsulates are large amount of Muslims. In a society where anyone that is brown is seen as a threat, shouldn’t we all be chomping at the bit to raise a new generation that won’t repeat what they’re seeing now?
The educational value to this program is as limitless as the ignorance in these protesters. It’s insulting that people hate Islam so much that the smallest hint of it sends them into a panic. Yes, terrorism is scary. But not every single Muslim person is walking around strapped and waiting to take out a monument. The same way that not every white person is going to shoot up a movie theater. Not every Latino is a rapist. Not every Black person is a thug/rapper/basketball player/degenerate. Not every Asian is good at math. Not every stereotype has a basis in reality. Not every single bad thing that we hear about a group of people should shape how we see an entire population.
Readers, I love writing. It is my passion and it is my calling in life. But I absolutely cannot wait for the day until I no longer have to write about these kinds of things.
Oh and one more thing . . . #creepingsharia.
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Image: Pixabay
The article writer insist on the point that not every muslims is bad and is not going to kill or destroy monuments in the name of religion. Although the argument seems valid but it misses the point that muslims aren’t in the forefront to confront the bad guys or the muslims who misuse the religion of Islam. History and the present is an example where Muslims aren’t in the forefront to denounce the barbarity of Islamic radicals (ISIS…Taliban, AQ etc.) Personally, they might denounce these acts but one doesn’t see any protest marches against these outfits in Muslim countries, instead one can see lot of anger against other religions, countries for this or that action or policy. One should also remember the days when some countries even recognized the Taliban govt. who used to commit murder of women in football grounds in most gruesome fashion. Not a single Muslim country came out to condemn these acts, instead went on to give legitimacy to these barbaric people writ. It wouldn’t be surprise if some Muslim country again turns its back from civilized norms and may grant legitimacy to these barbaric ISIS cult regime in future also if they stay longer and have foothold in large areas.
Munna, congrats. You are the hate queen! I don’t mean to dehumanize you, like what you just did in your lovely rant, but you are so famous on this website in the comment section. I am always so excited to hear what sort of ignorance you have to say, and I didn’t even know that a human being could have that much hate, but sending love to you sweet heart. Always.
I assume you to be a lady and am surprised by your ad-hominem personal attack on me by terming me as hate queen. BTW I’m male not female and it would have been more prudent if you listed the reasons/lacunae in my thinking rather than just imagining wild things about me & thanks for the reply anyway for my comment.