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

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

Haitham Sabbah on Palestinian folk dance being banned in a U.S. school as it might be offensive to Jews and Israel….

“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?

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