Trailer for a documentary from HBO on Freedom of Speech in a post 9/11 World. Sundance award winner.
SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH examines the case of Ward Churchill, a tenured professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, who was fired after writing that U.S. foreign policy abuses were a partial cause of the 9/11 attacks. Dismissed for research misconduct, Churchill later won a lawsuit against the university for unlawful termination of employment.
Liz Garbus also examines the story of Yemani-American Debbie Almontaser, a veteran of the New York City public school system and founding principal of Khalil Gibran International Academy, the city's first dual-language Arabic-English public school. Almontaser claims she was forced to resign from her job in 2007 after she set off a firestorm by citing the literal definition of the word "Intifada" in an interview with the New York Post. After she left, the Academy opened with a temporary principal who did not speak Arabic. Alleging a witch hunt, Almontaser has filed a lawsuit claiming her First Amendment rights were violated.
The documentary also considers the case of Chase Harper, who was suspended from Poway High School in San Diego for wearing a T-shirt that read "Homosexuality Is Shameful" during a gay and lesbian awareness event. Advocates for Poway High argue that they have the right to censor speech that would disrupt the educational experience of other students.
continued...
BROADCAST
EXCLUSIVE...Ousted NYC Arabic School Principal Debbie Almontaser Speaks Out on the New McCarthyism & Rightwing Media Attacks
Debbie Almontaser was forced to step down in August 2007 as the founding principal of the Khalil Gibran School, New York City's first public school dedicated to the study of Arabic language and culture. Her resignation followed a rightwing campaign that painted her as an educator with a militant Islamic agenda. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Debbie Almontaser joins us in her first national broadcast interview since stepping down and suing the city.
note; To me, it seems more understanding of other cultures could only benefit us as a country....period!
There is an organization in this film called 'Stop the Madrassa' that was in part responsible for the paranoia that had this teacher ousted.
By the way...Madrassa in Arabic means school.
(sounds like someone needs to go to class)
Trailer for a documentary from HBO on Freedom of Speech in a post 9/11 World. Sundance award winner.
SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH examines the case of Ward Churchill, a tenured professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, who was fired after writing that U.S. foreign policy abuses were a partial cause of the 9/11 attacks. Dismissed for research misconduct, Churchill later won a lawsuit against the university for unlawful termination of employment.
Liz Garbus also examines the story of Yemani-American Debbie Almontaser, a veteran of the New York City public school system and founding principal of Khalil Gibran International Academy, the city's first dual-language Arabic-English public school. Almontaser claims she was forced to resign from her job in 2007 after she set off a firestorm by citing the literal definition of the word "Intifada" in an interview with the New York Post. After she left, the Academy opened with a temporary principal who did not speak Arabic. Alleging a witch hunt, Almontaser has filed a lawsuit claiming her First Amendment rights were violated.
The documentary also considers the case of Chase Harper, who was suspended from Poway High School in San Diego for wearing a T-shirt that read "Homosexuality Is Shameful" during a gay and lesbian awareness event. Advocates for Poway High argue that they have the right to censor speech that would disrupt the educational experience of other students.
continued...
BROADCAST
EXCLUSIVE...Ousted NYC Arabic School Principal Debbie Almontaser Speaks Out on the New McCarthyism & Rightwing Media Attacks
Debbie Almontaser was forced to step down in August 2007 as the founding principal of the Khalil Gibran School, New York City's first public school dedicated to the study of Arabic language and culture. Her resignation followed a rightwing campaign that painted her as an educator with a militant Islamic agenda. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Debbie Almontaser joins us in her first national broadcast interview since stepping down and suing the city.
note; To me, it seems more understanding of other cultures could only benefit us as a country....period!
There is an organization in this film called 'Stop the Madrassa' that was in part responsible for the paranoia that had this teacher ousted.
By the way...Madrassa in Arabic means school.
(sounds like someone needs to go to class)
