Community Magazine August 2006

 ”  72 Community Magazine Former Taliban Ambassador Seeks Yale Degree A former ambassador for Afghanistan’s Taliban regime was denied admission to a degree- granting program at Yale, but he can continue studying at the school. Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, who had been studying at Yale in a special program that does not award degrees, became the topic of debate after a New York Times Magazine story in February described his life at the Ivy League school. Supporters said the school was promoting understanding across cultures. But critics were aghast that Yale would open its gates to the 27 year old who once represented a repressive regime that harbored al-Qaeda. Amidst the debate, Yale President Richard C. Levin ordered a review of the admission standards for the program that Hashemi enrolled in and said its standards should be as rigorous as those for regular undergraduates. CM From the front lines in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon