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2015/03/21 10:41:46
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
I mean, really? I hope that the principal overturns his self imposed ban and continues with reading the pledge in different languages.
US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise
Students pledging allegiance to the US flag
The 31-word pledge is recited at many US schools each morning
A school in New York state has apologised after receiving complaints because a student recited the US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic.
The school's foreign language department arranged for the pledge to be read in a different language each day for a week.
Complaints were received from people who lost family in Afghanistan and from Jewish parents, an official said.
Neither the US nor New York state has an official language.
The school district superintendant, Joan Carbone, told the Times Herald-Record newspaper that the Arabic pledge had "divided the school in half" and that she had received numerous complaints.
A statement from the district apologised "to any students, staff or community members who found this activity disrespectful" and said the reading was intended to "promote the fact that those who speak a language other than English still pledge to salute this great country".
An Arabic-speaking student read the pledge during morning announcements at Pine Bush High School in Pine Bush, New York, on Wednesday.
Officials said the school's foreign language department organised for different pledge translations to be read in celebration of National Foreign Language Week.
English only from now on
Many students reportedly shouted their disapproval during the recitation, and later complained on social media.
Later in the afternoon, the school's principal made a school-wide announcement to explain why the pledge was read in Arabic and to apologise to those who took offence.
Ms Carbone said the pledge would only be read in English in the future.
The school's student leader, Andrew Zink, who is in charge of the morning announcements, told US media that he knew the reading would attract controversy.
He permitted it to go forward, because he believed it was "the right thing to do".
"What makes you American is not the language you speak, but the ideas you believe in," he said.
Sadyia Khalique, a spokeswoman for the New York chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said: "All Americans who value our nation's history of religious and ethnic diversity should be concerned" by the reaction and subsequent apology.
Arabic is not widely spoken in Afghanistan, where the major languages are Dari and Pashto.
2015/03/21 10:49:45
Subject: Re:US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Kinda dumb, but I don't really believe in having children recite the pledge as a rote activity anyway so maybe I'm not the right demographic for this particular butthurt.
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2015/03/21 10:53:02
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
I would be concerned about this as well. Muslims in America seem to be getting treated as 'the enemy within,' much in the same way as Japanese Americans were treated during WW2.
This will do nothing to improve relations between Islamic and non-Islamic communities in America, which is a sad thing for a country built by immigrants.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
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2015/03/21 10:55:38
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
And by "dividing the school in half", what really is meant is that some parent who was looking for an excuse to complain about the school finally found one.
Go you!
2015/03/21 10:55:57
Subject: Re:US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Ouze wrote: Kinda dumb, but I don't really believe in having children recite the pledge as a rote activity anyway so maybe I'm not the right demographic for this particular butthurt.
I don't really have a dog in the fight but I could see either not having the pledge at all or continuing with different languages as the options in this case. Thinking about melting pots and the US of A's history etc.
2015/03/21 10:56:37
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Last time I checked, the US didn't have an official language. Last time I checked, most people don't speak Arabic in Afghanistan either. Last time I checked, not all Arabs were Muslims. I'm pretty sure there are Christians and Jews who speak Arabic as their first language.
It might help if people stopped being fething idiots.
Anybody who complained should have been politely told to go and look up the first amendment and the numerous Supreme court rulings on this.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
2015/03/21 10:58:49
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: Anybody who complained should have been politely told to go and look up the first amendment and the numerous Supreme court rulings on this.
Hordini wrote: Last time I checked, the US didn't have an official language. Last time I checked, most people don't speak Arabic in Afghanistan either. Last time I checked, not all Arabs were Muslims. I'm pretty sure there are Christians and Jews who speak Arabic as their first language.
It might help if people stopped being fething idiots.
Exactly. If Native Americans started saying their pledge in their own languages, would that be construed as anti-America? This is a storm in a tea cup.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
2015/03/21 11:04:15
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Hordini wrote: Last time I checked, the US didn't have an official language. Last time I checked, most people don't speak Arabic in Afghanistan either. Last time I checked, not all Arabs were Muslims. I'm pretty sure there are Christians and Jews who speak Arabic as their first language.
It might help if people stopped being fething idiots.
Exactly. If Native Americans started saying their pledge in their own languages, would that be construed as anti-America? This is a storm in a tea cup.
If there was a tribe that said the pledge in their own language and somebody in the US had a problem with it, I would seriously lose my gak.
Why would anyone complain about that? Do people there enjoy painting themselves as terrible bigoted xenophobes with hateful ignorance? I wish for them to see the errors of their way and make amends. Also apologize to everyone else in the school.
"Our fantasy settings are grim and dark, but that is not a reflection of who we are or how we feel the real world should be. [...] We will continue to diversify the cast of characters we portray [...] so everyone can find representation and heroes they can relate to. [...] If [you don't feel the same way], you will not be missed"
https://twitter.com/WarComTeam/status/1268665798467432449/photo/1
2015/03/21 11:20:36
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: I would be concerned about this as well. Muslims in America seem to be getting treated as 'the enemy within,' much in the same way as Japanese Americans were treated during WW2.
This will do nothing to improve relations between Islamic and non-Islamic communities in America, which is a sad thing for a country built by immigrants.
Yeah, that's right, this is what is going to upset muslims in America, not tens of thousands of troops being sent to muslim countries where they kill muslims, then coming home with an attitude that muslims are not the good guys.
2015/03/21 11:30:29
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote: Why would anyone complain about that? Do people there enjoy painting themselves as terrible bigoted xenophobes with hateful ignorance? I wish for them to see the errors of their way and make amends. Also apologize to everyone else in the school.
The root of the problem is that some people are unable or unwilling to engage their brains before they engage their mouths.
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote: Why would anyone complain about that? Do people there enjoy painting themselves as terrible bigoted xenophobes with hateful ignorance? I wish for them to see the errors of their way and make amends. Also apologize to everyone else in the school.
The root of the problem is that some people are unable or unwilling to engage their brains before they engage their mouths.
Might help if people read further too.
The pledge was also "one nation under Allah" which given what ISIS is doing at the moment is a pretty stupid thing to say. God at least can be stretched to mean non-christian gods, allah is muslim only which hi-jacks the pledge for attempted political points.
The student leader knew it was going to be controversial so it was done with the prior knowledge that many were going to be pissed off - hardly a good way to start the day.
2015/03/21 11:41:28
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote: Why would anyone complain about that? Do people there enjoy painting themselves as terrible bigoted xenophobes with hateful ignorance? I wish for them to see the errors of their way and make amends. Also apologize to everyone else in the school.
The root of the problem is that some people are unable or unwilling to engage their brains before they engage their mouths.
Might help if people read further too.
The pledge was also "one nation under Allah" which given what ISIS is doing at the moment is a pretty stupid thing to say. God at least can be stretched to mean non-christian gods, allah is muslim only which hi-jacks the pledge for attempted political points.
The student leader knew it was going to be controversial so it was done with the prior knowledge that many were going to be pissed off - hardly a good way to start the day.
Allah is absolutely not Muslim-only. Allah is the Arabic word for "God." Arabic-speaking Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also pray to Allah.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/03/21 11:45:25
Allah is absolutely not Mulsim-only. Allah is the Arabic word for "God." Arabic-speaking Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also pray to Allah.
This is true. However, I would amend my earlier post. Though an apology is not necessary, it would have been a prime teachable moment to have teachers explain to the children that Allah is the Arabic word for God.
Ignorance is no excuse, and we should not accommodate it, but the school is a place where it can be remedied.
Allah is absolutely not Mulsim-only. Allah is the Arabic word for "God." Arabic-speaking Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also pray to Allah.
This is true. However, I would amend my earlier post. Though an apology is not necessary, it would have been a prime teachable moment to have teachers explain to the children that Allah is the Arabic word for God.
Ignorance is no excuse, and we should not accommodate it, but the school is a place where it can be remedied.
Absolutely. I'm not sure why those at the school didn't point it out from the very beginning.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: I would be concerned about this as well. Muslims in America seem to be getting treated as 'the enemy within,' much in the same way as Japanese Americans were treated during WW2.
This will do nothing to improve relations between Islamic and non-Islamic communities in America, which is a sad thing for a country built by immigrants.
Yeah, that's right, this is what is going to upset muslims in America, not tens of thousands of troops being sent to muslim countries where they kill muslims, then coming home with an attitude that muslims are not the good guys.
Both are symptoms of the same problem, and that problem is Muslims being seen as the 'enemy within.'
America has been here before: Japanese Americans in WW2, the red scare after 1917, and much further back, the treatment of Irish immigrants in the 19th century. All were seen as the enemy within.
I hope they sort it out.
Automatically Appended Next Post: If American Muslims are viewed as a 5th column, then you could end up with the tragic situation of home grown extremism on a level with that in the 1990s. Nobody want's that.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/03/21 12:36:26
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
2015/03/21 13:19:35
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: the treatment of Irish immigrants in the 19th century. All were seen as the enemy within.
.
Them irish with their lower socio economic status, willingness to hire out as political mititia, unionistic behavior and quality beer making ability are unfortunately historically pointing out everything that is wrong in the US, especially the beer.
The whole pledge thing is kinda weird.if you want to say it in another language who cares, unless you sub donkey for united states of america the language doesn't make a difference.
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2015/03/21 14:39:05
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Computron wrote: ]The pledge was also "one nation under Allah" which given what ISIS is doing at the moment is a pretty stupid thing to say. God at least can be stretched to mean non-christian gods, allah is muslim only which hi-jacks the pledge for attempted political points.
Arabic-speaking christian use the word Allah for their god too. Allah literally means god. If the pledge was in Arabic, there was no other word they could have used instead. This only serves to highlight how this pledge is discriminatory to polytheists and atheists.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/03/22 19:20:32
"Our fantasy settings are grim and dark, but that is not a reflection of who we are or how we feel the real world should be. [...] We will continue to diversify the cast of characters we portray [...] so everyone can find representation and heroes they can relate to. [...] If [you don't feel the same way], you will not be missed"
https://twitter.com/WarComTeam/status/1268665798467432449/photo/1
2015/03/21 15:16:47
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Parents are stupid. If they were this butthurt about it, they should take their kids out of public schools and home school them, so they can grow up to be entitled donkey-caves who think their gak don't stink. Or give their kids up for adoption so they can [hopefully] grow up in a house that doesn't support xenophobia or bigotry. Feth off, stupid parents.
Reality is a nice place to visit, but I'd hate to live there.
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2015/03/21 15:53:24
Subject: US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?
Perhaps some of the outrage is that the Arabic version was read on a Wednesday, and no other foreign languages were used during the "Foreign Language Week." Whoever set it up probably did so in the hopes of provoking a reaction (otherwise known as trolling). I wonder if there's transcript of what was actually read in the announcements that week.
This article has a little more detail, and is what the BBC cribbed from:
Just curious, but why does a democracy need a pledge of allegiance from its children anyways? That is something normally only found in totalitarian states:
Spoiler:
spot the differences?
Is the US pledge of allegiance compulsory or are people allowed to reject it?
But regardless of that, being mad about the pledge being recited in Arabic seems incredibly racist.
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2015/03/21 16:37:23
Subject: Re:US Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic leads school to apologise WHY?