Coalition worried about Islamic groups partnering with NYC's Arabic-themed schoo

Coalition worried about Islamic groups partnering with NYC's Arabic-themed school

A New York City-based grassroots coalition is continuing its efforts to stop the scheduled September 4 opening of a controversial Arabic-themed school for sixth graders.

Stop the Madrassa Community Coalition, concerned that the school may become a breeding ground for homegrown terrorists, says it has consistently asked for information about the curriculum at Brooklyn's Kahil Gibran International Academy. But the group claims those requests have been stonewalled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Education.

Sarah Springer, a resident of Brooklyn and a leader in the coalition, says what they have learned is that the school will partner with two Islamic organizations, including the American Muslim Association of Lawyers -- a group founded in 2006 by Omar Mohammedi, who is currently the president of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington, DC-based pro-Muslim lobbying group. "He's [also] the lawyer for the six flying imams, that very important case," adds Springer.

Springer says the other organization partnering with the school is the American Mideast Leadership Network.

"The president of that organization is Rami Nuseir [who] on July 31, 2006 ... stated on CNN during Hezbollah's war on Israel [that] a lot of people look at Hezbollah as a social service agency providing a lot of help for the people," she points out.

Springer insists if those kinds of organizations are going to be allowed access to sixth graders, the Kahil Gibran International Academy has no place in the New York City Department of Education school system.