MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Arabic language class that upset some parents at Daphne High School is one of a few, but growing number, of Arabic programs offered at U.S. high schools, according to a language study organization.



It is also possibly the only of its kind at an Alabama public school. But foreign language educators praised the school’s decision to bring the little-taught language to Baldwin County students

A spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Education said no public school in Alabama offered Arabic as a course last year, according to their records. Information was not yet available for the school year that just began.

Heather West, executive director of the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers, said to her knowledge no other Alabama public high school is offering Arabic to students.

West said she was pleased that “Baldwin (County) is leading that way.”

“I think it’s a very positive thing that they are offering it. It is a great opportunity for these students,” said West, an assistant professor teaching French at Samford University.

Some Daphne parents expressed concern about the course offering, which replaced French class, saying they feared it would promote Islam or teach a culture of "hate." West said she was surprised by the complaints.

“Anytime a student has functional fluency in a foreign language, it’s a plus in the job market. That can only help them. It can only help Alabama and our country in the areas of national security and economic development,” West said.

Interest growing in Arabic

Nationally, Arabic is still a rare class in American public schools, particularly compared to the high school staples of Spanish, French and German. However, interest appears to be growing.

Nancy Rhodes of the Center for Applied Linguistics, a nonprofit that studies language education, said while the percentage of American schools offering Arabic is still low, it is increasing.

The nonprofit's 2008 survey showed that Arabic was offered in just 0.6 percent of secondary schools. However, Arabic didn't even register when they surveyed language offerings in 1998, Rhodes said.

"I think that it is really exciting. It's a wonderful opportunity," Rhodes said of the Daphne class.

Arabic is the fifth most widely-spoken language on the planet, Rhodes said. Mandarin is first, followed by Spanish, English and Hindi.

Koji Arizumi, director of the University of Alabama's Critical Languages Center, said there has been a sharp increase over the last decade in the number of students seeking to study Arabic through their program.

“Arabic is getting very, very popular,” Arizumi said. He said they hope to eventually offer an Arabic minor.

Arizumi said parents should know that teaching Arabic does not equal teaching Islam.

Even at the university level, he said, “we cannot teach a specific religion in the language class.”

The Oregonian reported that a Portland high school, three years ago, became the state’s first high school to offer an Arabic program.

A Maine high school is believed to be the first school in that state offering Arabic with a new class this fall, the Associated Press reported.

Spanish is by far the most popular language offering at Alabama schools, according to data from the state Department of Education.

Chinese was offered at more than 40 Alabama public schools last year, according to the state Department of Education.

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