©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Muslim Group Fighting for Better Education in Illinois |
(IRN)-The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago used its annual Muslim Action Day to advocate for several things they say will create a better state not just for Muslims, but the entire population.
Alaa Mukahhal, 24, of Palos Hills, has lived in Illinois since she was 7, and is undocumented. She's encouraging lawmakers to support the "Illinois DREAM Act," currently sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago).
"The future of the country, of our state, of our cities, of our communities, of our neighborhoods comes back and depends on the education of its residents," Mukahhal explains. "Because equal access to education is not an immigration issue, it's a human rights issue. It affects all communities."
The Council advocates for several issues in its annual action day, at least one of which has gained traction in the past few years.
Dr. Zaher Zahloul chairs the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. He used the day to encourage school districts across Illinois to adopt the teachings of Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, and other world languages considered strategic.
"Our federal government has identified in 2008, in the national security language initiatives, certain languages as critical need languages," says Zahloul.
Nearly a dozen schools in Chicago started a pilot program recently to teach some of these languages, and Zahloul says the results so far have been impressive.
He hopes those results will catch on.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
|
| 03 14 11 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
