Education

Submitted by Sam Green (United States), Aug 18, 2007 at 19:57

I was just thinking about the meaning of Intifada, Madrasa, and Jihad. These are words that are thrown around by people that have no idea what they mean. They repeat them from negative Articles about Muslims and Arabs. Ms Al-Montaser was just instinctively trying to help people understand the real Arabic meaning of the word Intifada.

It is wrong to flat out condemn a word you don't understand. Once you understand the meaning of the word then you can decide to condemn it. It is closed minded to interpret the Arabic language from the negative publicity it receives in the Media.

This incident only supports the need for an Arabic school that will help people understand the real meaning of these words that they hear in the media. It also highlighted the need for more people like Ms Al-Montaser that are willing to take risks and cross cultural barriers to build these important bridges.

It is a shame that she was crucified by the head of the United Federations of Teachers Union.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".