(Yuri Perez) – It was profoundly inspiring to hear Malala Yousafzai’s remarks given at the UN in New York on July 12, 2013. She was 16 years old when the Taliban shot her in the head in Pakistan because she was an advocate for education. She has survived and is more committed to her cause than before. She denounced radical Islam because she believes “they are afraid of books and pens, and women and the power of their voices.”
I was expelled from a university in Cuba for similar reasons. Since I left Cuba my friend who was also expelled has been murdered by the Cuban regime. We advocated for academic freedom; a freedom which is an unattainable aspiration as long as government controls everything. I came to the United States as a political refugee in 2009. In this country of opportunity I was able to return to college. However, I am shocked by the fact that many instructors abuse academic freedom for the purpose of indoctrination.
At first sight it is hard to understand the similarities between the indoctrination in the United States and Cuba or Cuba and the Taliban, but they have a common denominator when it comes to education. It is controlled by certain interests to promote an agenda while suppressing academic freedom. It varies with development and sophistication of societies. In fact the Cuban regimen does not need to shoot a 16 year old girl in the head as the radical left does not need to expel and murder university students in the United States. In the United States the radical left has been increasing its hold on education for decades. They are doing this with taxpayer money and backed by the mass media.
When Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) denounced the communist infiltration in Harvard Law School, the media blasted him with accusations of McCarthyism.
The message is clear, education is the progressive left stronghold and they are not willing to give it up. Education, pop culture, and the media are leading America down “the road of serfdom.” I came from a communist country and this path goes to a wicked destination. The federal government’s intrusion in education and health care are the first steps toward socialism. The only solution is to stand up, reform education and limit the government to its constitutional boundaries.
After Malala Yousafzai’s speech, a Taliban senior officer replied to her in an open letter. His rants against Western civilization’s values are surprisingly similar to Cuban political commissars. Yet, even more astonishing are the common views that the Taliban official shares with indoctrinators in the United States. They all oppose capitalism, free markets and Western values. For example, one of my indoctrinators in college praises Islam, multiculturalism and was devoted to teach what I defined as “racist Republicans 101.” He is advancing his concept of socialism as “broader church.” Another professor, a Soviet nostalgic, advances Marxist theories at taxpayers’ expense.
American patriots need to face these challenges beginning with kindergarten and continuing through graduate schools. If we focus in Nevada, not eliminating a proposal such as eliminating the Department of Education, some steps can be taken. According to A. Matthews, NPRI’s scholar, “the end of teacher tenure; merit pay for teachers; and more parental choice, busted by vouchers to allow students to attend private schools,” could be a path to better education for our children. Governor Sandoval’s promises of these steps have not been implemented during his mandate. I came to the United States seeking freedom and to do this we must maintain our “shining city on the hill.”