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 | Learning Arabic Prevents Moral Decay Posted by Barbara Branden on 11/28/2004, 10:45pm | |
Does Learning Arabic Prevent Moral Decay? So argues Akhtar H. Emon, president of an outfit called the Arabic Language Institute Foundation (or ALIF, which is the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet), based in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. His interesting argument can be found on an undated webpage, "Bringing Arabic to U.S. / Canadian High Schools," that begins by making the case for Arabic instruction for purely materialistic reasons: "The necessity for a greater number of Arabic speakers is obvious, given the amount of trade the United States does with countries in the Middle East and that region's growing economic importance in world trade. Many big companies have business over there, and all this requires knowledge of Arabic. "As Arab nations gain more of a global presence, especially in non-oil related economic areas, knowing Arabic and understanding the Arab culture will be more valuable for American businesses seeking to tap that growing market. … Knowledge of Arabic will promote investments here since there are a lot of revenues from oil. The lack of knowledge has stagnated investments into this country." This is a bit over the top, especially when one recalls that the entire GDP of the Arabic-speaking countries is less than that of Spain, but at least it's an argument that an American or Canadian can relate to. The final paragraph then presents a quite different – and arguably more sincere – reason for wanting Arabic taught in North American high schools: "Arabic is the language of the Qur'an. In order to convey the message of Qur'an in North America and Europe, we have to first deliver its language. Knowledge of Arabic can then help the Western countries recover from the present moral decay. Shootings of the likes in Columbine High School, and an Diego schools are the symptoms and the signs (Ayah) from Allah. High School students in North America deserve better than the metal detectors to protect them. The whole system of education needs a moral shake-up. The Arabic Language Institute Foundation (ALIF), a Los Angeles-based organization is committed to this goal." So there you have it – "Knowledge of Arabic can then help the Western countries recover from the present moral decay." Comment: Even innocuous-looking groups like ALIF (a project partially sponsored, wouldn't you know it by the Council on American-Islamic Relations) has an intent to transform the United States into a majority Muslim country. (November 26, 2004) http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/379 | ||
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