Now this is the most disgusting piece of news I've read today:
OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. – Officials in Old Saybrook have canceled performances by a Palestinian dance troupe after getting a complaint that it is offensive to Jews and Israel.
The decision involves planned performances at the town's elementary and middle schools by Al-Ghad Folklore Dancing Troupe.
Town resident Ginger Horton says she felt compelled to complain to school officials after her two grandchildren told her they were offended by the troupe's performance at the high school Monday.
Here is the yucky part:
Horton says the grandchildren told her the high school performance depicted Israeli soldiers beating and torturing Palestinians.
School Superintendent Joseph Onofrio says he canceled further performances after learning several parents questioned whether it was appropriate for their children. [Source]
Keep in mind the following:
1. Who is offended? American Jewish, not Israeli… or are they?
2. What they are offended by? "Depicted Israeli soldiers beating and torturing Palestinians". What? Offended because the victim depicted the aggressor? Holly God!
More details from the same news source:
The performance by Al-Ghad Folklore Dancing Troupe of Beit Sahour was meant to be cultural and not overtly political, said the Rev. David W. Good, senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, where the troupe performed this past weekend.
But resident Ginger Horton said she felt compelled to complain to school officials after her two grandchildren told her they were offended by the troupe's performance at the high school Monday.
"[My] grandchildren came home very frightened," Horton said Thursday.
Good, who saw the performance at the school, disagreed.
"I saw nothing there that was anti-Jewish," Good said. "It was a cultural program … Anything of this nature, given the realities of where they live, the political realities are a short distance away."
The key words here are "The performance … meant to be cultural and not overtly political". This is politically and culturally wrong statement. It only shows that Mr. Good doesn't know that the resistance of the Israeli occupation is (inevitably) part of the Palestinian culture.
It is nothing but a Zionist tactic to tag everything that uncovers their crimes as anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic.
Reading on…
Good said many of the dances performed were simply traditional, but he acknowledged one was particularly upsetting to a male student in the audience. That more modern dance "certainly expressed the frustration of detention by Israeli soldiers" and dealt with curfews, checkpoints and the realities of detention, Good said.
The male student became angry and said Palestinians "do not want peace even though they talk about peace in their dances," Good said.
At the end of the performance, the student pursued the performers, he said.
"He was angrily shaking a finger in the face of a Palestinian girl," Good said. "I asked him to stop."
Horton said it was inappropriate for the public school system to host what she called a hateful, politically charged event.
Now who is hateful? The Palestinian dancers of those who attacked them and gave a finger to a Palestinian girl? Yet, the dancers (victims) were punished, not the attacker(s)… as usual practice by the ignorant American public (minority of Americans knows and support the truth, that is the Palestinians rights and fight against the Israeli occupation. To those, a salute).
Reading on…
"My concern was that it would be stopped, and we stopped it," said Horton, who also contacted the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut.
School Superintendent Joseph Onofrio, who did not attend the high school performance, said a male Jewish student became "emotionally charged and upset" by the visitors' depiction of Jews.
So, they were afraid of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut and called the show off. But again (and sorry for the repetition), who said that they depicted Jews? They depict the Israeli aggression and some of its behaviors (torture, checkpoints, etc…). What the hell all this have to do with Jews?
Reading on…
Bob Fishman, executive director of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, said Old Saybrook public schools should not host groups with a perceived political agenda. He lauded upset local students and family members who "stepped up."
"It was a very disturbing report [Horton] got from her grandchildren," Fishman said. "I advised her that it's not appropriate for a sponsor to say it's cultural when it's primarily political."
Fishman said his organization plans to discuss the performances with state legislators and top state education officials.
"These are public schools, taxpayer dollars," Fishman said.
"They were very careful" not to make a political statement, Good said of the troupe. "They were asked to share their dance, and share their story living in the occupied territory. They did so through music."
Let's judge by the American Jews (or should I say, Zionist) actions.
Are we to assume that the "upset male Jewish student", Mr. Fishman, the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut and Mrs. Horten's positions are non-political?
Mrs. Horton said her "grandchildren came home very frightened," yet it was the Jewish protesters who played the "Heavies" in this episode, not the dancers.
It was the Zionist perspective that denied free speech. The Palestinian dancers were expressing the Israel curfews, checkpoints, torture and the realities of detention because they are as much a part of Palestinian life and cultural experience as the "Wailing Wall" and the Holocaust are to Jews.
Canceling the show is awful and everything that followed is a result of acquiescence to censorship and intimidation by a vocal minority. Art and dance act as commentary on the human condition with all its glories, tragedies and blemishes, no matter the source. Caving in to calls for censorship, in a supposedly 'free society', can be a slippery slope indeed. Who gets to be the arbiter of what we all get to see? Should it be an "aggravated Jewish student"? Should it be a pathetic bureaucrat fearful of offending some vocal minority? Who will you surrender your intellect to?
More Palestinian Folklore Dance photos (by El-Funoun) here…
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Reading such news makes me laugh. Purely ridiculous. I can't believe that the land of FREEDOM and free speech is acting like this. Offensive? Really? *Shaking my head*
Good thing I live in Canada where multiculturalisms is a must within the society and people.
I hope people out there seriously come to their senses when reading such non-sense and see who really is the guilty party.
By the way Haitham, your blog is posted on iArabs.com and that's great! I can keep up with everyone now! :P
"Bob Fishman, executive director of the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, said Old Saybrook PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT HOST GROUPS WITH A PERCEIVED POLITICAL AGENDA. He lauded upset local students and family members who “stepped up.â€
"THESE ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TAXPAYER DOLLARS"
The following bill passed in 1988 in the state of Connecticut:
STATE OF CONNECTICUT
Raised Committee Bill No. 6097 Page 1
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
LCO No. 2955
Introduced by (PD)
General Assembly
February Session, A.D., 1988
AN ACT CONCERNING THE CREATION OF THE CONNECTICUT-ISRAEL EXCHANGE
COMMISSION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in
General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (a) There is established the
Connecticut-Israel Exchange Commission. The commission shall be
within the department of economic development for the purpose of
promoting and expanding economic, scientific, EDUCATIONAL,
technological, commercial, industrial and cultural cooperation
and exchange between the state of Connecticut and the state of
Israel.
http://search.cga.state.ct.us/dtsearch_lpa.asp?cmd=getdoc&DocId=4476&Index=I%3a%5czindex%5c1988&HitCount=0&hits=&hc=0&req=&Item=5723
Is that who Mr. Fishman is going to complain to? A little hypocritical don't you think?
That seems very unfortunate, too bad they could not have had open questions and discussions. I hope they get to perform at other schools and other coultural events with much more positive results.
Still good may come of this unfrotunate event, because many students and parents in the district, and beysond, will question the hows and whys of the controversy.
sorry for the above typos. Also most likely the performances for the elementary and middle schools would have been somewhat toned down for younger students- less controversial, but high school students should be able to handle hearing and seeing some more serious and thought-provoking content.
WHAT KIND OF BULL IS THIS . NOW THERE CONTROLING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM . IF THEY DONT LIKE IT, LET THEM GO TO ISRAEL. THESES PEOPLE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO PUT ON A SHOW AT ONE OF OUR SCHOOL'S WITH OUT ANY TROUBLE FROM THE JEW'S IN THIS COUNTRY. JOHN ALFANO BROOKLYN
Video From Hamastan: Gangland Style Execution of Prisoners…
http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/2007/11/video-from-hama.html
Sounds like Judeofascism and Shabbos Goy antics to me…
I think Canadian multiculturalism varies a lot depending on what part of Canada you live in.
Here is a letter the National Coalition Against Censorship (ncac.org) sent to Mr. Joseoph Onofrio, Superintendent of Old Saybrook Public Schools:
November 15, 2007
Re: Al-Ghad Folklore Dancing Troupe
Dear Mr. Onofrio:
I am writing on behalf of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), an alliance of over 50 national non-profit organizations united in defense of free expression. We are deeply concerned about the recent cancellation of performances by the Al-Ghad Folkore Dancing Troupe of Palestine at Old Saybrook elementary and middle public schools.
It is our understanding that the Troupe’s performance, which consisted mostly of traditional dances with some references to contemporary life, upset some students and residents when performed at the Old Saybrook High School. Reportedly a student in the audience became angry and said that Palestinians "do not want peace even though they talk about peace in their dances." After the performance, the grandmother of two students complained that some representations of the Israeli treatment of Palestinians were offensive to her grandchildren and, in general, to Israeli and Jewish sensibilities. In response, your office cancelled further performances scheduled for the lower schools.
It is impossible to demand that cultural expression be apolitical: some of the best in cultural creation contains elements of socio-political commentary and references to lived human experience. The problem here seems to be not so much the reference to current political events as the perspective on those events,
which some parents and local groups found disagreeable. However, in ceding to the demands of a few parents, you have imposed their particular point of view on the whole community, an action that raises serious First Amendment concerns.
While school officials have considerable discretion over curricular and pedagogical decisions, that discretion is limited by their obligations under the First Amendment. According to the Supreme Court, the "bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment… is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." Texas v. Johnson (1989). Indeed, the Court has affirmed that access to controversial ideas and material "prepares students for active and effective participation in the pluralistic, often contentious society in which they will soon be adult members" Board of Education v. Pico, (1982) (plurality opinion) and any attempt to “eliminate everything that is objectionable . . .will leave public schools in shreds.†McCollum v. Board of Educ. 333 U.S. 203, 235 (1948).
You claim to have cancelled the performances because elementary and middle school principals would not have had the opportunity to preview the material beforehand so as to decide whether they should provide additional information to parents and guardians. However, since the performance had already been seen in several other venues and previewed by the Social Studies Department Chair, it is clear that there were sufficient sources of information about its content. There was no need to call on the principals to see the dance as well, which makes it appear that this was just an excuse to cancel the show and avoid controversy.
We urge you to allow the dance performances to be held in the middle and elementary schools. Post-performance discussions with the audience can be held to answer questions and allow different viewpoints and criticism to be heard. In our experience, controversies of this sort are best handled by enriching the conversation, not restricting it. By doing so, the school district will not only demonstrate its commitment to First Amendment principles, it will also encourage civic engagement and teach students the skills to discuss opposing views respectfully, while also recognizing the diversity of cultures and perspectives on world events.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 212-807-6222, ext. 23
Sincerely yours,
Svetlana Mintcheva
Director
Arts Program
Svetlana Mintcheva,
This is great. Thanks for writing the letter and sharing with us. We hope you receive a positive response at which time we will be happy to hear it from you.
Also, I'll be more than happy to published any correspondence that you have with Mr. Onofrio so that readers can support you to stop all this kind of censorship.
Kind regards
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