Only in New York could the powers-that-be yield so broadly to the concept of pandering to ethnic minority groups who, not so many years ago, clamored to have their children integrated into American society and to achieve proficiency in the English language. Now, encouraged by demagogic leaders and unprincipled politicians and underwritten with taxpayer money, schools are established to encourage immigrants to remain as enclaves separate from the mainstream of US life.Such is the purpose of the proposed Khalil Gibran Arabic academy, planned to cater to Arabs in our midst in the name of "multiculturalism" The taxpayer-funded charter school would emphasize Arab culture, history, and language. While the study of other cultures and languages traditionally had been a legitimate part of US school curricula, it had never until recently -- especially in public elementary and secondary schools -- been their principal focus.The current flap about the proposed Arabic school, and its...(Read Full Post)