New York, NY - The Friends of Gibran Council (FoGC), concerned with
the
misuse of the great legacy of Lebanese-American author and poet Kahlil
Gibran,
issues the following release.
The proposed Kahlil Gibran International Academy (KGIA), based on
information
received to date by the FoGC, would not honor the legacy of a great
poet, an
artist who achieved greatness in the US as an emigrant fleeing Lebanon
where
his community has been suffering persecution in their ancestral home
in Lebanon
at the hands of religious powers.
Gibran’s ancestry was Lebanese, Christian and Maronite (Aramaic-Syriac).
He
has authored works in English and Arabic. Therefore, the claims of
teaching
Arabic under the name of Gibran ring hollow as he is not ethnically
Arab although
there are many great Arab poets. Gibran, although a great artist and
poet and
fluent in Arabic was not an Arab poet or painter. To analogize in a
very basic
manner, Americans speak English but are not English.
The founders of the KGIA could easily change the name of the school to
honor a
great Arabic writer or poet, of which there are many, if that is their
true intent.
Gibran was a believer in the universality of human rights and the
dignity of the
individual. Therefore, the board of trustees of the KGIA should
reflect Gibran’s
values and ideals. Appointing radicals and Imams who have been
associated
with extremist and Jihadist groups is an affront to these ideals.
The teaching of Arabic in public schools is a laudable goal; many more
American
students should be proficient in this largely spoken language. However,
in no
way should the Arabic language and Islamism be mixed.
The great name of Kahlil Gibran is not owned by anyone. Until recently,
no group
or individual has taken advantage of this situation. To allow the KGIA
to use his
name now under clearly false pretenses would, in effect, rewrite
history and
would do grave harm to the students of NYC.
ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF GIBRAN COUNCIL – The Friends of Gibran Council
is a new international organization with chapters in Lebanon and the
United
States. We organized as a group in early 2007 to counter the cultural
and
political exploitation of Gibran’s name and legacy. Our mission now
has
expanded to achieving four goals: to advance worldwide recognition of
the works,
life and philosophy of Kahlil Gibran; to encourage support of the
Gibran National
Committee in Lebanon and particularly the Gibran Museum in Bsharri; to
strengthen the social, economic and cultural development of the
region; and to
protect Gibran’s legacy from cultural and political exploitation.
CONTACT:
Tom Harb, Chairman, Advisory Board for Friends of Gibran Council
Telephone: 407.383.9600
email:
tharb@friendsofgibran.org
John Hajjar, Advisory Board member, Friends of Gibran Council
Telephone: 617.216.5445
email:
jhajjar@friendsofgibran.org
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