Middle East Online: Monawar Hussain, the first-ever imam of Britain's elite and exclusive Eton College had this to say about English and Islam: "'The people, or the imams who come from abroad, the only thing they lack, the majority of the time, is they have a problem with language, their first language is not English,' he told BBC World Service radio. 'So they are not able to fully express the Islamic tradition in the language, so that the younger people don't understand what Islam is about, what the Islamic faith is about, and that's when people who have a political agenda use Islam to further their agenda.'"

The Japan Times Online: "the electoral debate also highlighted which brand of Islam should be upheld and taught in Malaysia's education system. The question of Islamic teaching in the public Sekolah Agamat Rakyat (SAR) vs. the Islamic madrasa (Quranic schools) run by PAS had already been considered in the final days of Mahathir's term in office. English is now imposed as the medium of teaching science and mathematics in the SARs, and the central government seeks to control the curriculum of madrasa more strictly. Education (and religious education in particular) is a critical factor in this Islamic debate, in which a fundamental issue is the separation of mosque and state."

'Rais: Stop 'Arabising' Malay culture: "KUALA LUMPUR: Malays should put a stop to the 'Arabisation' of their own culture and challenge those who condemn as unIslamic deep-rooted practices and traditions of the community. 'The Malays are not Arabs. Therefore, it is important that we do not 'Arabise' the Malay culture to the extent that everything that the Arabs do, we must do,' said Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. 'The Malay culture arose from time immemorial, even before 1409 when Islam came to Malacca, and we cannot simply ignore that period from which we came,' he added in an interview here with The Star early this week. "

NZ News: Head Scarves Hinder Integration It's remarkable the nonsense that some self-important TESOLers come out particularly when it's about they absolutely no clue about. Read on: "A meeting in Auckland has been told that Muslim women find it harder to integrate into New Zealand society than most immigrants, due to customs such as deference to men and the wearing of head scarves. The barriers they face are being acknowledged at a two-day forum in Auckland, organised by the Muslim community to educate government and community agencies about their religion. Christine Ball works with the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) home tutor scheme where volunteers go into migrant women's homes to teach English. "

Islam, once at forefront of science, fell by wayside: "Islam, once at forefront of science, fell by wayside

TOLEDO, Spain -- Islamic medicine and science led the world for centuries while Europe stagnated in the Dark Ages. From 800 AD to 1500, Arabic was the language of science, as English is today. Muslims occupied Spain, and Europeans flocked to Toledo and other Spanish cities, or traveled great distances to Baghdad or Damascus, to translate Islamic science and medical books into Latin. Islamic medicine in the year 1000 was a marvel of sophistication, featuring competency tests for doctors, drug purity regulations, hospitals staffed by nurses and interns, advanced surgeries, and other practices beyond the dreams of medieval Europeans."

Palestine Chronicle: "Most Arabs, from the wealthy down to a Cairo doorman know all about the West, as amazingly even the poorest have satellite dishes these days. As soon as they turn on the sets, they are bombarded with glossy Hollywood movies and television series, and those who speak English, can switch between CNN, Fox, the BBC and Sky News at will. But where do the Westerners get their feel for the Arab world? Where is the promised Arab English-language satellite network? Why aren't there any movies about Arab concerns, lifestyle, culture, traditions etc. in English?"

Just in case you're wondering, this is what it says on the cardboard placard:

"Lcpl Boudreaux Killed my Dad, th(en) he Knocked up my Sister"

The "humour", if you can call it that, illustrates how English can be used by the powerful against the 'worthless have-nots' of the world. Would it have had the same effect the other way round ie an Iraqi soldier with Western kids holding up an Arabic placard? That's not the point! What makes the prank work for the prankster/soldier is the fact that he's proved especially adept at "actually" finding a kid who doesn't have a clue about English - "a language which after all everyone's supposed to speak (right?) with the exception of course of the very backward".

Click here to see an enlarged version of the the picture >>>

Telegraph | News | We should test imams on their English, says Muslim peer: "Muslim clerics should have to prove that they can speak English before being admitted to Britain, a Labour peer said yesterday. Lord Ahmed said he was in favour of language tests because some imams were teaching a distorted view of Islam which could encourage impressionable youngsters to join extremist groups. 'There are a few imams who come into this country who don't speak English, who don't understand our culture,' said Lord Ahmed, a Muslim. He said this could cause problems if they were teaching young people who were socially alienated and looking for an identity. 'We need imams who are of the highest standard, who can speak English, who understand the culture and can communicate with their congregation in the language that they speak,' he told Radio 4's Today. 'In every other job we have to have minimum qualifications.'"

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Peer Demands English Tests for Muslim Leaders: "Muslim clerics should be forced to take tests in English language and culture, a Labour peer said today. Lord Ahmed said some imams were teaching a distorted view of Islam which led impressionable youngsters to join extremist groups. He said they taught irrelevant lessons and were not able to communicate properly with their congregations. �There are a few imams who come into this country who don�t speak English, who don�t understand our culture,� he said. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme there was a danger when they taught young people who were looking for an identity and may already be alienated because of social problems. �We need imams who are of the highest standard, who can speak English, who understand the culture and can communicate with their congregation in the language that they speak,� he said. �In every other job we have to sit tests and have minimum qualifications. And for imams we can�t do that, we must.� But Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer questioned the proposal, saying it would be �rather unattractive�. �I don�t think people should be forced over a long period of time to learn English. But I do think if you learn English when you come here you are going to get so much more out of this country.�"

MEMRI: Latest News: "Illiteracy in the Arab World is Over 80% Salman Masalha: 'There's a serious problem today with the Arab youth, in expressing themselves in Arabic.' Question :'Why?' Salman Masalha: 'Because of the language, that great rift between colloquial and literary Arabic. In order to explain a complex idea, you need high language, not the language of the souq. You can't express a complicated idea using the language of the souq. If you take young people, let's say eighth-grade Arab [children], and their French, or Jewish Israeli, counterparts, you will discover the discrepancy in self-expression. Because he does not know the language of thought, the Arab pupil runs into a big problem. Thus it is in the entire Arab world. 'The Arab world does not read. According to various reports, the Arab world is largely illiterate. Illiteracy in the Arab world is not 50% like it says in the reports. I say that it is over 80%. Practically speaking, even those defined as not illiterate because they completed eight years of schooling, I consider illiterate. In this century, anyone who finishes elementary school can't really read. 'A book selling 5,000 copies across the Arab world is a rare achievement. The average book published in Israel sells more copies than a successful book in the entire Arab world. This also has to do with the economic situation. Reading books is a privilege for people who have spare time and money. The poverty that sweeps the Arab world leaves the individual struggling for survival his whole life. How is he supposed to read a book? He must bring food for his children, his family.' "

DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS: "French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte visited the Denver International School on Monday with long-term interests in mind: a U.S. foreign policy that brings peace. With U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti and beyond, Levitte said, young Americans must 'learn the world - learn languages, learn cultures - to be prepared for the responsibilities,' he said. 'The fact that (foreigners) may speak English is not enough. You have to understand what is going on in the Arab world, why they have such a view about Islam, and so on.'"

projo.com | Providence, R.I. | Opinion: Contributors: "According to Huntington, the Anglo-Protestant culture's key elements include the English language, Christianity, religious commitment, the work ethic, dissenting-Protestant values of individualism, and the belief that humans have the ability and duty to try to create a heaven on earth. So he sees Mexican-Americans as 'culturally inferior' and the speaking of Spanish as a 'language disability.' According to Huntington, Anglo-Protestants created the United States, then let others come in. Proviso: Forget your personal ancestral history, surrender your culture and language, and adopt the Anglo-Protestant culture. Ignoring historical facts and contributions from different groups, Huntington seems to believe that this was done smoothly, without internal conflict. He ignores that in those early days German competed with English as the national language. English won, and German (and other foreign languages) was forbidden to be taught -- defying teachers went to jail. "