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Multiculturalism Defined
(4/28/04)


Another response to Multiculturalism Defined:

The Left Hijacks Indian History

By David Yeagley
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 28, 2004

A liberal advocacy group in Washington recently committed intellectual genocide on American Indians. Authors of the group presumed to fabricate Indian history, as if real Indian history doesn't matter. Authors simply created an Indian story to suit the purposes of the advocacy group, and published it in a school text manual as fact.

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 – 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 – 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 is a published scholar, professionally recorded composer, and an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Liberal Studies. He's on the speakers list of Young America's Foundation. E-mail him at badeagle2000@yahoo.com. View his website at http://www.badeagle.com.

Rob's reply
As usual, Yeagley is full of it. Here are the flaws in his latest screed:

1) The two-page section on "Arab Indians" was written by one woman. Yeagley alleges this woman "colluded" with someone else, but he doesn't offer any evidence. At most we're talking about two people. Any conclusion about liberals based on one or two people is statistically invalid, not to mention ridiculous.

2) The Middle East Policy Council seems more neutral than liberal to me. Its mission is to provide "political analysis of issues involving the greater Middle East" and "ensure that a full range of U.S. interests and views are considered by policy makers." The first five board members it lists look decidedly mainstream, if not conservative:

Mr. Robert D. Bauerlein, Vice-president, International Operations, Boeing Company.
Mr. Curtis Brand, Chairman (ret.), ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabia, Inc.
Gen. Charles W. Brown, U.S. Army (ret.).
Mr. William J. Brown, Senior Legal Advisor, EFD, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
The Hon. Frank C. Carlucci, Chairman, The Carlyle Group; former U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Even the MPEC's advocacy of Arabic culture is arguably neither conservative nor liberal. Many Arabs denounce our wars of aggression and support of Israel but also our hedonistic, sex-drenched culture. Osama bin Laden, for one, is a conservative fundamentalist akin to our own Tim McVeigh.

3) Most important, Yeagley, like many people, doesn't have a clue what multiculturalism means. A multiculturalist isn't "a Muslim convert and zealot" or "a career advocate of Arabic culture." It's someone who sees the value in all (multiple) cultures, not in one culture.

See Multiculturalism Defined if you, like Yeagley, are still unclear on the definition.

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