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Article: Showdown in Brooklyn: Debbie Almontaser, former head of New York's Khalil Gibran School, talks to Tahira Muhammad for The Middle East.(MOSAIC: Debbie Almontaser Interview)(Interview)
- Article from:
- The Middle East
- Article date:
- June 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 IC Publications Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Debbie Almontaser is the daughter of Yemeni immigrant parents who envisioned a better life in America. After the 9/11 attacks she had her own dream--of establishing an Arab-American School in Brooklyn, New York, that would help ease the cultural tensions between Jews and Arabs as well as educate people to the culturally sensitivities of Arab-Americans.
"I grew up in a small suburb in Buffalo, attending public school with my siblings. My father worked at the Ford Motor Company factory," Almontaser explains. Like the children of many immigrant families, her parents were keen that their children should 'fit in' with their new culture.
"I was encouraged by ...