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Essays, Opinion, & Commentary |
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May 16, 2004
by David A. Yeagley, Ph.D.
Sounds incredible, but the Middle East Policy Council published a 540-page book called Arab World Studies Notebook, a teacher's guide for presenting Arab culture to young American students. The text, published five years ago, has a two-page chapter entitled, "Early Muslim Exploration Worldwide: Evidence of Muslims In the New World Before Columbus." The text says Arab Muslim explorers were here in America before Columbus, and married Algonquin Indians. These early marriages produced descendents who, by the 17th century, became Algonquin chiefs, like "Abdul-Rahim and Abdallah Ibn Malik." The Washington Times notes there is no evidence to validate the story. The story is simply designed to give the Arabs a home in America, to make them part of the foundation of American civilization. The story was an attempt to make Arabs "indigenous." The author and editor of Arab World Studies Notebook is Audrey Park Shabbas, the Teacher Workshop Leader of MEPC's impressive educational program for grades 7-12. Shabbas, a Muslim convert and zealot, is a career advocate of Arabic culture. Executive Director of Arab World And Islamic Resources since 1995, she tirelessly champions the Arab Muslim "cause" in America. The story of Arab Muslim explorers and Indians is her collusion with Shayk Abdallah Hakim Quick, another Muslim convert (1970) and zealot for Islamic ascendancy like Shabbas. The internet does not reveal family background of either Shabbas or Quick, but Shabbas regularly decries the Anti-Defamation League, and apparently sued them for illegally obtaining information on Arab Americans. But it's okay for Shabbas and Quick to fabricate information about American Indians, because it's they think it's good cause. They want Arab Muslims to be more acceptable in a time. If Arabs can somehow be linked to the American Indian, they'll be spared. They will have that special place, that unique validation, which will enable them to say Arab Muslims are the founding fathers of civilization in the Americas. "It is not, nor has it ever been, our intention to spread lies or untruths," said Jon Roth, Program Director of Middle East Policy Council. Of course not. The intent is merely to give a face lift to Arabs. Who cares if American Indians are used? Early Indian history is mostly oral tradition anyway. It's open season for multiculturalists. Anyone can make up Indian stories, and include anyone in the Indian race. It's everyone's "civil right." Why not make an Arab Indian tribe, get federal recognition, and create another casino? American Negroes do it all the time, and they certainly have no claim like Arab explorers would have. This free use of American Indian history by white liberals to promote Arab Muslims is the most presumptuous disrespect of Indians in history. Indians are relegated to myth, as if we didn't really exist historically…or if we did, our history did not matter &endash; we're just a fantasy for anyone to use any time it suits. We're a free talisman of racial, cultural validation. Just say you're Indian, you're in, at the deepest level. But this nonsense isn't complimentary to Indians. This egregious fraud is abuse of Indians. Just pin that Indian name on yourself, and you suddenly belong to America. Shabbas pinned "Indian" on every Arab in history &endash; including America's worst enemies. Multicultural liberals obviously hate and disrespect Indians. An Indian advocacy group exposed Shabbas' chicanery. Algonquin Nation's Peter DiGangi protested her text until MECP finally had to face the facts. Some 1,200 copies of the her book have already been circulated, but she promises to give "careful and thoughtful attention" to how exactly to break the news that she lied to all the trusting teachers who were given copies of the text. Maybe she should say the romance fantasy between Arabs and Indians was all sublimated sexual excitement. But should such personal indulgence be published as fact in professional secondary school texts? Alas, exotic sexuality may be in her professional style. Last year Shabbas spoke at San Francisco University High School's "Global Awareness" evening, which included homosexual advocacy. She has shown no offense by the association. One thing is certain: Shabbas thinks feminism is advocated in the Qur'an. Now that's super sexual fantasy! Let her keep her sexual hang-ups. But let her keep them from lying about American Indians in the nation's textbooks.
Dr. David A. Yeagley teaches humanities at the College of Liberal Studies, University of Oklahoma. His opinions are independent. He holds degrees from Yale, Emory, Oberlin, University of Arizona and University of Hartford. He is a member of the Comanche Tribe, Lawton, OK. E-mail him at badeagle2000@yahoo.com. View his website at http://www.badeagle.com. Feel free to respond to this article in The Radical Academy Forum.
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