Schools asked to ban book; Parent of seventh-grader says it promotes hatred toward Arabs

The Patriot Ledger ^ | January 11, 2005 | KAREN GOULART

[danno3150]

BTW - Shamma must have some serious cash to live in Duxbury. I wouldn't underestimate him getting his way, even without the ACLU.

[angelr1076]

The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee has said Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.'' Yeah, that sounds about right.

[swilhelm73]

The Amazon page on the book;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380715635/qid=1105484720/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-7319787-5820108?v=glance&s=books

It sounds like some hippy dippy leftwing book, interestingly enough, though the reviews could be misleading.

[gridlock]

The Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee has said Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''

Are the Arab characters in the book backward, cowardly and barbaric? It is permissable to have negative characters in literature, isn't it?

You don't see Britons wanting to ban Dickens because Scrooge and Fagin are vicious and mean, do you?

[Nataku X]

Goodness. I remember reading that book as a little girl. It is not anti-Arab by any means. In fact it is about a recent Israel immigrant girl from Canada making friends with an Arab boy across the Jordan river.

[Beckwith]

Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''

So, does she want them portrayed as progressive, brave and humane?

That would fly in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

[Nataku X]

I don't remember the book being that way. It's a little bit idealistic, whatwith the little girl trying to make friends with the boy across the river, but it protrayed Israel as being in the right in keeping the land in the war of 1967.

[MarineBrat]

...Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''

Available in the "World History" section of your favorite book store.

[CindyDawg]

A long article and lot's of opinions but no quotes.

[Alouette]

There are a lot of bad things about Arabs in there and how they are mistrusted and they're called by an Israeli swear word

All the Israeli swear words that I know of are Arabic, English or French.

[Alouette]

Oh, and Russian.

[SauronOfMordor]

There are no Hebrew swear words?

[vpintheak]

Is the book fiction or non-fiction? Wouldn't that have a lot do do with the complaining?

[Clemenza]

Remember that Fagin was Jewish. I've never heard about the Jews trying to ban Oliver Twist, though.

[Alouette]

There are no Hebrew swear words?

Does G-D cuss?

[Clemenza]

Most Yiddish cursewords came from German.

[HardStarboard]

>>>Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''<<

Not to mention sneaky and murderous!

[Publius6961]

This appears to be a work of fiction.
In America we don't ban books.

I sensed back when Mark Twain was being quoted out of context for the same treatment, that we were on a very short slippery slope.

[Publius6961]

Is the book fiction or non-fiction? Wouldn't that have a lot do do with the complaining?

Well, I have mixed feelings about that. According to this one comment...

Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''

I would agree, non-fiction.

[Publius6961]

Is the book fiction or non-fiction? Wouldn't that have a lot do do with the complaining?

Well, I have mixed feelings about that. According to this one comment...

Arabs in the book are portrays as ‘‘backward ... cowardly, and barbaric.''

I would agree, non-fiction.