Islamophobia Network Targets Top Performing American Schools
Taken from Mr. Truth:
"Michael Shank of Huffington Post bravely tells the truth about the top performing charter schools in the nation."
This September, I was interviewed by a communications firm on the topic of Islamophobia. The firm is planning a campaign to counteract Islamophobia in America and was conducting interviews with Washington policymakers who have addressed this topic. The interview came on the heels of a Center for American Progress (CAP) report published last month, called "Fear Inc: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America," which found a well-financed, well-organized network of advocates, experts and media partners conducting a strategic campaign throughout America and "spreading hate and misinformation," as CAP put it.
Islamophobia is on the rise in America, but this is hardly surprising. Scan recent American history to witness the consistent creation of an "other", whether it was anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism in the 19th century (and beyond), the first Red Scare in the early 1900s, the Japanese-American scare and second Red Scare in the mid-1900s, or the Muslim American scare in the early 2000s. There is purpose here. When entire races, religions or regions are dehumanized, it is easier to wage war, expel immigrants, and forge new, discriminatory (or oppressive) domestic and foreign policies to deal with these vilified populations.
Turkish-Americans are the latest to feel the heat. Despite serving as NATO's number two troop supplier and recently agreeing to host a NATO radar defense system, Turkey is often accused by Washington for contradicting US foreign policy aims and objectives when negotiating with Iran, Syria, Israel and Libya. Additionally, Turkey's market-friendly version of political Islam has often rubbed the West the wrong way.
Now, targeted discrimination aimed at the Turkish American community is centering on a Turkish educational effort, which was identified in CAP's "Fear Inc" report. The new supposed Turkish threat to America: "Muslim Gulen schools, which [members of the Islamophobia network] claim would educate children through the lens of Islam and teach them to hate Americans". The authors of the CAP report flatly reject this assertion, however, saying that the schools started by Turkish-American Fethullah Gulen are "nothing of the sort" and that "they are a product of moderate Turkish Muslim educators who want a 'blend of religious faith and largely western curriculum'."
CAP is on to something. Two Gulen charter schools ranked 5th and 6th on Newsweek's 2011 Top Ten Miracle High Schools and two Gulen schools ranked 144th and 165th on Newsweek's 2011 list of America's 500 Best High Schools. So what is going on here? Gulen talks of peace and tolerance and was compared by Georgetown professor John Esposito to the Dalai Lama and praised by Madeleine Albright and James Baker III for his advocacy of democracy and dialogue. You would think this is the type of Muslim that America wants. While I recognize that there are legitimate concerns regarding the use of public funds for these charter schools, and concerns about the Gulen movement's democratic proclivities in Turkey, it seems that at the heart of this is an undercurrent of phobia about Islamic teaching in America.
Read more on Huffington Post.
"Michael Shank of Huffington Post bravely tells the truth about the top performing charter schools in the nation."
This September, I was interviewed by a communications firm on the topic of Islamophobia. The firm is planning a campaign to counteract Islamophobia in America and was conducting interviews with Washington policymakers who have addressed this topic. The interview came on the heels of a Center for American Progress (CAP) report published last month, called "Fear Inc: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America," which found a well-financed, well-organized network of advocates, experts and media partners conducting a strategic campaign throughout America and "spreading hate and misinformation," as CAP put it.
Islamophobia is on the rise in America, but this is hardly surprising. Scan recent American history to witness the consistent creation of an "other", whether it was anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism in the 19th century (and beyond), the first Red Scare in the early 1900s, the Japanese-American scare and second Red Scare in the mid-1900s, or the Muslim American scare in the early 2000s. There is purpose here. When entire races, religions or regions are dehumanized, it is easier to wage war, expel immigrants, and forge new, discriminatory (or oppressive) domestic and foreign policies to deal with these vilified populations.
Turkish-Americans are the latest to feel the heat. Despite serving as NATO's number two troop supplier and recently agreeing to host a NATO radar defense system, Turkey is often accused by Washington for contradicting US foreign policy aims and objectives when negotiating with Iran, Syria, Israel and Libya. Additionally, Turkey's market-friendly version of political Islam has often rubbed the West the wrong way.
Now, targeted discrimination aimed at the Turkish American community is centering on a Turkish educational effort, which was identified in CAP's "Fear Inc" report. The new supposed Turkish threat to America: "Muslim Gulen schools, which [members of the Islamophobia network] claim would educate children through the lens of Islam and teach them to hate Americans". The authors of the CAP report flatly reject this assertion, however, saying that the schools started by Turkish-American Fethullah Gulen are "nothing of the sort" and that "they are a product of moderate Turkish Muslim educators who want a 'blend of religious faith and largely western curriculum'."
CAP is on to something. Two Gulen charter schools ranked 5th and 6th on Newsweek's 2011 Top Ten Miracle High Schools and two Gulen schools ranked 144th and 165th on Newsweek's 2011 list of America's 500 Best High Schools. So what is going on here? Gulen talks of peace and tolerance and was compared by Georgetown professor John Esposito to the Dalai Lama and praised by Madeleine Albright and James Baker III for his advocacy of democracy and dialogue. You would think this is the type of Muslim that America wants. While I recognize that there are legitimate concerns regarding the use of public funds for these charter schools, and concerns about the Gulen movement's democratic proclivities in Turkey, it seems that at the heart of this is an undercurrent of phobia about Islamic teaching in America.
Read more on Huffington Post.
My Strictly Personal Criteria for Gulen Charter Schools
___Taken from Mr. Truth:
We are all quite sure that theweird claims about so-called Gulen Charter Schools have been proved fallacious. You can see this by checking some of the recent critics of so-called Gulen Charter Schools. They are very silent these days. Knock on wood :) I quickly realized the fallacious nature of these claims after reading a few of them, but some people's aggressive attacks on these high-performing charter schools can make anyone very suspicious. Whenever there is a good news or (bad news) on the national level praising or defaming those charter schools, there is always someone ready to defame the schools in question with his/her comments. Anyway... You are already familiar with this story.
On the other hand, some things should be clarified. For example, what if someone decided to establish a charter school named "Gulen Charter School"? Would it be considered a Gulen Charter School as well? I mean the criteria to become a Gulen Charter School are very ambiguous. For those who will open a new charter school, I can proudly and gladly add some criteria in order to qualify their charter school a Gulen Charter School. At the end of the day, they will have lots of free publicity. Remember any publicity is good publicity.
Let me bring some of'em to the table:
1) The first rule to be qualified as a Gulen Charter School, the school perform high. Good test scores or closing the achievement gap is one of them.
2) The school must have some teachers from overseas. That way, you could easily be identified as Gulen Charter Schools even if your teachers have no idea of who Gulen is.
3) Everything related to construction etc. should cost cheaper than the national average. That way, you can easily be pointed as a Gulen Charter School who tries to purchase everything cheaper than the market.
4) Make your parents happy. When they get happy, the attackers of your school will find nobody to get help and eventually they will beg some assistance from the elected officials, people who have never been to your school or biased journalists that would visit your school for the sole purpose of creating havoc in the media.
5) Find a few disgruntled teachers who has recently left your school. Help him/her to piss you off. Find a journalist lover for him/her so that s/he could "expose" everything.
Congratulations! You have become a Gulen Charter School.
Not a bad idea, right?
We are all quite sure that theweird claims about so-called Gulen Charter Schools have been proved fallacious. You can see this by checking some of the recent critics of so-called Gulen Charter Schools. They are very silent these days. Knock on wood :) I quickly realized the fallacious nature of these claims after reading a few of them, but some people's aggressive attacks on these high-performing charter schools can make anyone very suspicious. Whenever there is a good news or (bad news) on the national level praising or defaming those charter schools, there is always someone ready to defame the schools in question with his/her comments. Anyway... You are already familiar with this story.
On the other hand, some things should be clarified. For example, what if someone decided to establish a charter school named "Gulen Charter School"? Would it be considered a Gulen Charter School as well? I mean the criteria to become a Gulen Charter School are very ambiguous. For those who will open a new charter school, I can proudly and gladly add some criteria in order to qualify their charter school a Gulen Charter School. At the end of the day, they will have lots of free publicity. Remember any publicity is good publicity.
Let me bring some of'em to the table:
1) The first rule to be qualified as a Gulen Charter School, the school perform high. Good test scores or closing the achievement gap is one of them.
2) The school must have some teachers from overseas. That way, you could easily be identified as Gulen Charter Schools even if your teachers have no idea of who Gulen is.
3) Everything related to construction etc. should cost cheaper than the national average. That way, you can easily be pointed as a Gulen Charter School who tries to purchase everything cheaper than the market.
4) Make your parents happy. When they get happy, the attackers of your school will find nobody to get help and eventually they will beg some assistance from the elected officials, people who have never been to your school or biased journalists that would visit your school for the sole purpose of creating havoc in the media.
5) Find a few disgruntled teachers who has recently left your school. Help him/her to piss you off. Find a journalist lover for him/her so that s/he could "expose" everything.
Congratulations! You have become a Gulen Charter School.
Not a bad idea, right?
Hot-Topic Question at Yahoo Answers
_Taken from Goose Network Blogspot:
The hot-topic of Gulen Charter Schools was asked as a question at Yahoo. I added the links here in this page.Question was simple and the answer also looks brilliant:Question: I am really curious about those so-called Gulen Charter Schools. Some say they are the best performing charter schools in America, some say they are very dangerous and deal with indoctrination of the kids. Which one is true?I really don't know why they are called Gulen Charter Schools. These are charter schools and in our small town we have one of these schools and my two kids attend such a school. Indoctrination is nonsense, because we are a Catholic family and on no occasion did my kids come and report any indoctrination activity.
I also closely follow the debate that has been going on over the internet for a long time and the accusers of these "Gulen Charter Schools" are just irrelevant people with a suspicious agenda. For example, the latest discovery by Goose Network showed that among the attackers of Gulen Charter Schools, there is an Armenian lady named Vanessa Kachadurian.
Gulen Charter Schools are definitely legit and successful schools. You can find more information on the links below. Especially the article about Vanessa is very cool.
Source(s):http://goosenetwork.tumblr.com/
http://gulenandcharterschools.blogspot.com/
http://leavechartersalone.com
The hot-topic of Gulen Charter Schools was asked as a question at Yahoo. I added the links here in this page.Question was simple and the answer also looks brilliant:Question: I am really curious about those so-called Gulen Charter Schools. Some say they are the best performing charter schools in America, some say they are very dangerous and deal with indoctrination of the kids. Which one is true?I really don't know why they are called Gulen Charter Schools. These are charter schools and in our small town we have one of these schools and my two kids attend such a school. Indoctrination is nonsense, because we are a Catholic family and on no occasion did my kids come and report any indoctrination activity.
I also closely follow the debate that has been going on over the internet for a long time and the accusers of these "Gulen Charter Schools" are just irrelevant people with a suspicious agenda. For example, the latest discovery by Goose Network showed that among the attackers of Gulen Charter Schools, there is an Armenian lady named Vanessa Kachadurian.
Gulen Charter Schools are definitely legit and successful schools. You can find more information on the links below. Especially the article about Vanessa is very cool.
Source(s):http://goosenetwork.tumblr.com/
http://gulenandcharterschools.blogspot.com/
http://leavechartersalone.com
_Controversy on Charter Schools Having Diverse Faculty Members
_
Taken from Divedu:
Education has become a hot issue these days. On the eve of "Waiting for Superman", a movie that deals with our problematic education system as well as the success story of charter schools, people from all walks of life have some sort of opinion to "save" our education system.
Charter schools constitute one significant dimension of the issue. Some people are extremely critical of these schools, while for some others, these schools are the apple of their eye. Whatever the case, they are/will be the subject of debate regardless of their success and failure. As a proponent of diverse education, I am closely monitoring the charter schools and I believe that most of them are greatly contributing to our diverse education system despite their specific shortcomings. Therefore, I always tend to concentrate on the success stories of the charter schools. Recently, I have come across some interesting and contradicting opinions about a certain group of charter schools. What is interesting about these schools is they are successfully serving underserved and economically disadvantaged communities and doing this with diverse faculty members. Those schools, according to their antagonists, are described as the schools that have some ties with Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim scholar, and his teachings. The officials of those schools, however, deny any kind of formal relationship with Gulen. As I was desperately looking for a reliable source, fortunately I came up with Dr. William Martin’s article in Texas Monthly. Embellished with scientific data, that article was my life saver to clear some of the doubts in my mind. I already published this article here. Later on, I continued my search on the internet and I found a blog, prepared by a scholar, about Gulen and U.S Educators in Public and Charter Schools.
This scholar also shares some of my concerns and for the very same reason he opened that blog. He says, “I am a researcher at an academic organization and have studied the transnational civic movement inspired by the life and works of Fethullah Gulen, so-called the Gulen movement. Recently I came across a story covered by USA Today in which the Gulen Movement is associated with a group of charter schools in the United States. In the story, it is said that “Charter schools inspired by Fethullah Gulen operate in 100 countries, including the USA.” I also found out that there are websites and blogs speaking the same way. One of them claims that “Fethullah Gulen infiltrates the U.S. through our charter schools.”
Then I decided to create a blog that helps clarify the matter. I think two points should be clear: The title "Gulen-inspired schools" refers to the private schools established and run by Gulen-inspired entrepreneurs and educators in Turkey and around the world. (2) Those charter schools in the U.S. at which some Gulen-inspired educators work are public initiatives and not to be labeled as Gulen-inspired schools.”
Please allow some time to take a look at this reliable source. Is diversity something good or bad? This is what we need to discuss. As for my humble opinion, having diverse teachers as faculty members always significantly contributes to the success of the schools.
Update: This Gulen Charter Schools concept is becoming a lie that is be believed by those who made it up.
Taken from Divedu:
Education has become a hot issue these days. On the eve of "Waiting for Superman", a movie that deals with our problematic education system as well as the success story of charter schools, people from all walks of life have some sort of opinion to "save" our education system.
Charter schools constitute one significant dimension of the issue. Some people are extremely critical of these schools, while for some others, these schools are the apple of their eye. Whatever the case, they are/will be the subject of debate regardless of their success and failure. As a proponent of diverse education, I am closely monitoring the charter schools and I believe that most of them are greatly contributing to our diverse education system despite their specific shortcomings. Therefore, I always tend to concentrate on the success stories of the charter schools. Recently, I have come across some interesting and contradicting opinions about a certain group of charter schools. What is interesting about these schools is they are successfully serving underserved and economically disadvantaged communities and doing this with diverse faculty members. Those schools, according to their antagonists, are described as the schools that have some ties with Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim scholar, and his teachings. The officials of those schools, however, deny any kind of formal relationship with Gulen. As I was desperately looking for a reliable source, fortunately I came up with Dr. William Martin’s article in Texas Monthly. Embellished with scientific data, that article was my life saver to clear some of the doubts in my mind. I already published this article here. Later on, I continued my search on the internet and I found a blog, prepared by a scholar, about Gulen and U.S Educators in Public and Charter Schools.
This scholar also shares some of my concerns and for the very same reason he opened that blog. He says, “I am a researcher at an academic organization and have studied the transnational civic movement inspired by the life and works of Fethullah Gulen, so-called the Gulen movement. Recently I came across a story covered by USA Today in which the Gulen Movement is associated with a group of charter schools in the United States. In the story, it is said that “Charter schools inspired by Fethullah Gulen operate in 100 countries, including the USA.” I also found out that there are websites and blogs speaking the same way. One of them claims that “Fethullah Gulen infiltrates the U.S. through our charter schools.”
Then I decided to create a blog that helps clarify the matter. I think two points should be clear: The title "Gulen-inspired schools" refers to the private schools established and run by Gulen-inspired entrepreneurs and educators in Turkey and around the world. (2) Those charter schools in the U.S. at which some Gulen-inspired educators work are public initiatives and not to be labeled as Gulen-inspired schools.”
Please allow some time to take a look at this reliable source. Is diversity something good or bad? This is what we need to discuss. As for my humble opinion, having diverse teachers as faculty members always significantly contributes to the success of the schools.
Update: This Gulen Charter Schools concept is becoming a lie that is be believed by those who made it up.
An Ignorant Attacker: Peggy Littleton
_Taken from Gulen and Charter Schools:
As Chet Hardin states El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton is not an expert on Fethullah Gulen. But that didn't stop her from lecturing at a right-wing education conference, featuring presenters like stealth-jihad activist Frank Gaffney, and conservative columnist Ann Coulter, on the dangers of Gulen's quasi-influence on American charter schools.
“Littleton, despite her public comments on the subject, couldn't come up with a specific concrete example of Gulen's untoward influence over, or profit from, a charter school,” says Hardin.
Littleton believes that, without any facts or data to back it up her assertion, those charter schools, also called Gulen Charter Schools in some circles, are being helped by President Obama. This is really something people can never imagine in their wildest dreams. I will come to the details she embellishes about President Obama but to claim that “Race to the Top” initiative was started just for the sake of “Gulen Charter Schools” is nothing but wishful thinking or just sheer ignorance.
This is not the only gaffe made by Littleton. Let’s hear more from her: "A Gulen school is, they are schools that are actually are being applied for by a gentleman, and I forget his first name, Mr. Gülen; he's a gentleman who lives in Turkey."
Again, Ms. Littleton even lacks the most basic information about Fethullah Gulen, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, not Turkey. Besides, during that aforementioned conference, Ms. Littleton spells the last name of Gulen as “Gulan”. Littleton confesses that she hasn't spent much time researching Gulen schools. "I am by no means the expert on this. I do about 60 to 80 hours a week doing roads and streets and bridges and commissioner work,” she says. Then how could someone be so assertive in her claims?
Moreover, she thinks that all charter school applications are made by Fethullah Gulen, another fallacy she gets trapped into. It is weird to know that Ms. Littleton is a former state board of education member. She looks too ignorant to know most basic facts about the charter schools.
In her interview with Chet Hardin, she admits that she has no evidence — at all, none — that directly links Gulen to any of the more than 100 charter schools in the United States that she believes are Gulen (charter) schools.
As Chet Hardin states El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton is not an expert on Fethullah Gulen. But that didn't stop her from lecturing at a right-wing education conference, featuring presenters like stealth-jihad activist Frank Gaffney, and conservative columnist Ann Coulter, on the dangers of Gulen's quasi-influence on American charter schools.
“Littleton, despite her public comments on the subject, couldn't come up with a specific concrete example of Gulen's untoward influence over, or profit from, a charter school,” says Hardin.
Littleton believes that, without any facts or data to back it up her assertion, those charter schools, also called Gulen Charter Schools in some circles, are being helped by President Obama. This is really something people can never imagine in their wildest dreams. I will come to the details she embellishes about President Obama but to claim that “Race to the Top” initiative was started just for the sake of “Gulen Charter Schools” is nothing but wishful thinking or just sheer ignorance.
This is not the only gaffe made by Littleton. Let’s hear more from her: "A Gulen school is, they are schools that are actually are being applied for by a gentleman, and I forget his first name, Mr. Gülen; he's a gentleman who lives in Turkey."
Again, Ms. Littleton even lacks the most basic information about Fethullah Gulen, who currently resides in Pennsylvania, not Turkey. Besides, during that aforementioned conference, Ms. Littleton spells the last name of Gulen as “Gulan”. Littleton confesses that she hasn't spent much time researching Gulen schools. "I am by no means the expert on this. I do about 60 to 80 hours a week doing roads and streets and bridges and commissioner work,” she says. Then how could someone be so assertive in her claims?
Moreover, she thinks that all charter school applications are made by Fethullah Gulen, another fallacy she gets trapped into. It is weird to know that Ms. Littleton is a former state board of education member. She looks too ignorant to know most basic facts about the charter schools.
In her interview with Chet Hardin, she admits that she has no evidence — at all, none — that directly links Gulen to any of the more than 100 charter schools in the United States that she believes are Gulen (charter) schools.