Arabic-L:PEDA:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 07 Jul 2008
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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-------------------------Directory------------------------------------

1) Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab
2) Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab
3) Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab

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1)
Date: 07 Jul 2008
From:Terrence M Potter <tmp28 at georgetown.edu>
Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab

Colleagues

Please consider reading the article from the Washington Post print  
editorial page A-15 from the July 5, 2008. Also on line at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402093.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Best regards,
Terry Potter
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2)
Date: 07 Jul 2008
From:"David Wilmsen" <david.wilmsen at gmail.com>
Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab

In case any of you do not read the WAPO, there is a thoroughly  
tendentious
critique of Al Kitaab in the OpEd section of 5 July.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR2008070402093.html?nav=hcmodule

The Harvard Law student writing (if that is what his piece can be  
called, it
is very disoriented) the piece is also  president of the Harvard Law
Alliance for Israel, but WAPO somehow overlooked mentioning that.

Find commentary on the superb blog Arab Media Shack run by a student of
Arabic and the Arab world.

http://arabicsource.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/teaching-arabic-propaganda-2/

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3)
Date: 07 Jul 2008
From:"Dora Johnson [mailto:dJohnson at cal.org]
Subject:Washington Post Article on Al-Kitaab

[I am posting this response from Dora although it was originally sent  
to a group of addressees rather than Arabic-L.  I'm sure she won't  
mind--moderator]

Yes, this is a very bad column. Far more disturbing is that the Post  
would publish such an ill-informed column without checking facts  
first. But it is not uncharacteristic of what has been going on for  
quite a while. One need to only look at the attacks on the Middle  
Estern programs to realize that it wouldn't be long when Arabic  
language programs would be the next target from those who feel  
threatened by their popularity and growth.

Hopefully, there will be a response from the profession. However, if  
anyone feels compelled to write a short but to the point letter, you  
should. PLEASE don't get into the polemics which is what the main  
point of the column is. A good place to contact is to the Ombudsman of  
the Post.

It also points out that our work is still cut out for us in spades!   
We need to continue to work very hard at professionalizing Arabic  
language teaching even more. Keep up the good work!

Dora Johnson
Program Associate
Center for Applied Linguistics
4646 40th Street, NW
Washington, DC  20016-1859
Telephone: 202-362-0700
Fax: 202-363-7204
E-mail: djohnson at cal.org
Web site: www.cal.org

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End of Arabic-L:  07 Jul 2008