PRINCIPAL SEES LIGHT TOO LATE

Principal Sees Light Too Late

Defenders of Debbie Almontaser, who stepped down last week as Principal of the new Khalil Gibran Academy, have argued that she was "set up" by opponents of the Arabic dual-language school who falsely claim it will be used to promote terrorist beliefs.

Ms. Almontaser, a veteran educator who was active in an interdenominational Brooklyn group of Jews, Christians and Muslims, ran into trouble when she was asked by reporters about a t-shirt bearing the message "intifada" that had been created by Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media.

She tried to downplay the word's resonance in the uprising of Palestinians against Israel over the past couple of decades, saying that its literal meaning was "shaking off ... I don't believe the intention is to have any of that kind of [violence] in New York City."

That response drew heated media criticism, particularly in the New York Post, which called for her to be fired. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Mayor Bloomberg initially defended her, and Ms. Almontaser tried to repair the damage done by her initial remarks with a statement apologizing and noting, "The word 'intifada' is completely inappropriate as a t-shirt slogan ... By minimizing the word's historical associations, I implied that I condone violence and threats of violence."

When the furor didn't subside, she decided to step down in the hope that it would end the "unwarranted attacks" on the school.

One Teacher who believed she was railroaded told this newspaper's Meredith Kolodner that Ms. Almontaser had balked at giving a response that would "throw the girls from AWAAM under a bus," and was driven out as a result.

She had a middle ground, however. She could have told the reporters what she eventually said, and noted that young people sometimes look to provoke without understanding the power of their words to incite. What Mr. Bloomberg described as her lack of "media savvy" led Ms. Almontaser to take on baggage that the new school couldn't afford to carry.