The beleaguered principal of the city’s new Arabic-themed school quit yesterday under intense pressure from critics.
Debbie Almontaser stepped down after her defense of the word “intifada” on a T-shirt created a public outcry. Her move comes just weeks before the scheduled opening of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn.
Almontaser said in a statement that she resigned because the backlash was “endangering the viability” of the school.
The academy has been dogged with setbacks for months, first from Park Slope parents who believed the building was too small to house it, then from groups that feared Almontaser would promote radical Islamic beliefs.
Almontaser added fuel to the fire earlier this week when she defended the use of the word “intifada” on T-shirts sold by an Arab women’s group that shares space with a Yemeni organization that Almontaser belongs to.
She had been quoted as interpreting “intifada” as a “shaking off” of oppression, glossing over its link to the violent Palestinian uprising.
Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said the city remained committed to having a school where children could learn to speak Arabic. But Almontaser’s resignation failed to appease some critics.
“They’ve offered her up as a sacrifice because they are determined to make this school go forward,” said Pam Hall of the group Stop the Madrassa.
There was no immediate word on a successor to Almontaser.
With Frank Lombardi and Tanyanika Samuels
