The Case of The Arabic Language
On March 18, a student in Pine Bush High School near New York City recited the American Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. This was done as part of the school’s Foreign Language Week, which was conducted to celebrate the “many races, cultures and religions that make up [the US and the Pine Bush] School District.”
One would expect the multicultural and cosmopolitan
American society to appreciate such gestures. However, the reactions to
the recitation of the Pledge in Arabic spoke otherwise: the language in
itself was described to be meant for terrorists, and associated with
Islam. Such bigotry once again highlighted everything that is wrong with
USA: xenophobia, racism, ignorance, violence and above all,
Islamophobia.
The Controversy
Pine Bush is a small town located roughly 85 miles from New
York City. It is predominantly white, with Arab