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Teaching Arabic and Propaganda

[Washington Post ] Joel B. Pollak - Since Sept. 11, 2001, the number of Americans studying Arabic has more than doubled. Nearly 24,000 U.S. students enrolled in Arabic classes in the fall of 2006, the Modern Language Association reported in November. In 2002, 264 colleges offered Arabic; as of the 2006-07 academic year, 466 did. Young, ambitious Americans are responding constructively to our country's new challenges by demanding Arabic classes. But there are not enough teachers to meet this demand, and the available textbooks are suffused with the stale prejudices and preoccupations of the pre-Sept. 11 Middle East. Most maps of the Middle East in the standard textbook do not include Israel. The last lesson in the book features a mother speaking wistfully of her childhood in Palestine.
2008-07-07 01:00:00
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