Who is Rita Lahoud: A world map in a classroom at a public grade school in Brooklyn, New York, showed all the countries in the Middle East except Israel, which was named Palestine. This caused a stir. In partnership with PS 261, the Arab Culture Arts program has paid for the map. It was made possible by Qatar Foundation International (QFI), a non-profit arm of the Qatar Foundation.
It was made by the Arab schooling company Ruman and is called “Arab World.” It shows places important to Muslims. It was put up in a classroom where teacher Rita Lahoud teaches about Arab culture. But leaving Israel out and calling its land Palestine has caused worry and charges of “Jewish erasure” and spreading false information.
Outrageous! PS261, a school in Brooklyn NY, erases Israel from a map of the Middle East and replaces it with “Palestine”.
Teacher Rita Lahoud gives PreK to 5th grade students lessons in the Arab Culture Arts program, funded by Qatar Foundation International.
NYC students… pic.twitter.com/86Teo1aWjR
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Tova Plaut, an instructional planner and founder of the New York City Public Schools Alliance, didn’t like how the map showed things. She pointed out that these kinds of pictures can teach young children unconscious biases. QFI first posted a picture of the plan on social media, but that post was later taken down.
People have asked the New York City Department of Education and QFI for their thoughts on the issue. Nathaniel Styer, a spokesman for the department, said that the map shows places where people speak Arabic.
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Who is Rita Lahoud?
Rita Lahoud is the teacher at the heart of this debate. She is Palestinian-American and moved to the Middle East when she was seven years old. She has lived in both Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Her job at PS 261 is to teach Arabic about Arab art and society. In an interview in November, Lahoud talked about how much she loves teaching kids about Arab culture and how important it is in today’s political and social environment. She talked a lot about how training programs can help change people’s minds and fight myths.
Lahoud’s way of teaching and the money from QFI have both been questioned. From 2019 to 2022, QFI gave more than $1 million to the New York City Department of Education. This money helped pay for Arabic classes at PS 261 and another Brooklyn school. These funds were given out, particularly in light of the current event, which makes me wonder how outside funding affects the subject of education.