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  • Arabic Pledge of Allegiance brings protests

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nlaccetti@cogeco.ca Mar 25, 2015 10:21 pm

Thank you for going to the trouble to point out that “More important, though, the pledge in any language is a pledge of allegiance to the American flag and to the country for which it stands, not to some other country”

Reply to nlaccetti@cogeco.ca at 10:21 pm
serranoham@yahoo.co.uk Mar 30, 2015 3:41 am

The local response to this high school's admirable initiative appals me on two counts:

1. To call Arabic, official language of the UN and mother tongue of millions, "the language of the enemy" shows crass ignorance (not least because, as you point out, Dari and Pushto are the dominant languages of Afghanistan).

2. Arguing that the Declaration of Independence and other totemic US documents should only be in English confers on them a degree of sacredness matched only that of the - Arabic only - Koran. And none of the good burghers of Pine Bush would want that, now would they?

PS I was directed to your site by the excellent Word a Day website

 

Reply to serranoham@yahoo.co.uk at 3:41 am
whboyd2@verizon.net Mar 30, 2015 6:50 am

Banning languages is like cutting out our tongues and binding our hands.  Without them we are reduced to the state of animals with no means of understanding or reaching out other than instinct.  However, within a society that expects any cohesion to its government, culture or everyday life, there needs to be the promotion of a single language.  Without this we reduce our selves to the scattering of Babel and lose our society altogether.

Reply to whboyd2@verizon.net at 6:50 am
frenfroe@live.com Mar 30, 2015 7:04 am

Such a sad commentary on the flourishing state of jingoism in this culture.  As a general matter, I endorse the correctness of the principle sometimes referred to as Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."  "Heinlein's Razor" adds the helpful corollary, "...but don't rule out malice."

Reply to frenfroe@live.com at 7:04 am
coralynks@gmail.com Mar 30, 2015 9:45 am

I enjoyed reading, at the suggestion of Anu Garg's A Word A Day, the true story of what occurred after someone, with an intention of inclusion, recited our Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic over a school's announcement system. It was well researched and well written, and I intend to forward it to friends.

 

Reply to coralynks@gmail.com at 9:45 am
mebennun@icon.co.za Mar 30, 2015 9:58 am

I find myself almost incoherent witrh outrage at this. The idea that any language can be banned because it is the language of the enemy is a denial of all that I and so many, many other South Africans fought and sufffered for.

Is this the conduct of a civilised nation? Is this the America we are asked to admire?

How can it be possible that the project was abandoned merely for fear of a few who know only hatred?

What a grotesque idea of 'treason'!

I am Jewish and I am proud of it. I have never been more conscious of being Jewish, having read of this disgraceful incident.

It is because I am Jewish that I fought racism and want to do so till my last breath. One the languages of our freedom struggle and of my comrades and friends today in South Africa is Arabic, and all languages are equal and equally honoured in MY country.

This display of filth, ignorance and racism is about as low as the human intellect can sink.

Reply to mebennun@icon.co.za at 9:58 am
robertwiggers@aim.com whboyd2@verizon.netMar 30, 2015 4:01 pm

Banning languages is like cutting out our tongues and binding our hands.  Without them we are reduced to the state of animals with no means of understanding or reaching out other than instinct.  However, within a society that expects any cohesion to its government, culture or everyday life, there needs to be the promotion of a single language.  Without this we reduce our selves to the scattering of Babel and lose our society altogether.

The difficulty in this country is not the lack of a common language, but a parochialism and lack of knowledge of foreign languages and cultures that makes it a challenge for this country to deal with the other 6+ billion people in the world.

Reply to robertwiggers@aim.com at 4:01 pm
mebennun@icon.co.za whboyd2@verizon.netMar 31, 2015 9:56 am

Banning languages is like cutting out our tongues and binding our hands.  Without them we are reduced to the state of animals with no means of understanding or reaching out other than instinct.  However, within a society that expects any cohesion to its government, culture or everyday life, there needs to be the promotion of a single language.  Without this we reduce our selves to the scattering of Babel and lose our society altogether.

I absolutely cannot accept this.

In South Africa, OUR Constitution states that -

"Sec. 6(1). The official languages of the Republic are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu."

And sec. 6(5) reads:

5. A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must ­

a. promote, and create conditions for, the development and use of ­

i. all official languages;

ii. the Khoi, Nama and San languages; and

iii. sign language ; and

b. promote and ensure respect for ­

i. all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Portuguese, Tamil, Telegu and Urdu; and

ii. Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit and other languages used for religious purposes in South Africa.

I ask: how can any country offer its people anything less than such freedom and dignity? That's what we call ubuntu.

Are Americans really frightened to hear in Arabic, or in any other language spoken in your country, the words which describe your country as “one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all”?

When Mandela died, the greatest assembly of world leaders in history came to South Africa to honour him at his funeral -- including President Obama. If he didn't represent every American, then those who can't bear to hear the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic or any other language on this earth must not dare to wear their "Mandela" T-shirts  that were sold in millions.

Are such bigots the owners of morality?

 

Reply to mebennun@icon.co.za at 9:56 am