ALPHARETTA, Ga.,None — A Fulton County charter school trying to expand into an empty building is getting a cold shoulder from some nearby residents.
Fiona Bagley and several other residents in the Windward subdivision in Alpharetta received a letter warning them that radical Islamic fundamentalists are trying to open a Muslim school near their home.
"It talked about extremist Muslims coming to Alpharetta to form a terrorist school to blow up America, Bagley said.
The author of the letter claims to be the Milton County Tea Party Patriots Citizen Council. But according to Georgia Tea Party leaders, theres no such organization.
"How inflammatory can you get? Whoever wrote this should be ashamed of themselves," Bagley said.
Although the school is not named in the letter, Bagley and others believe its directed at the Amana Academy.
The academy is a Fulton County charter school that teaches Arabic to its 550 students.
The school is in the process of trying to get zoning approval to move into a vacant building along Windward Parkway in Alpharetta.
The school is currently in a nearby shopping center.
Anybody reading a flier that has that wording would be insulted, so it's an insulting flier, said Ehab Jaleel, executive director of the Amana Academy.
"Charter schools are great additions to neighborhoods, Jaleel said.
Tom Miller with the Windward Homeowners Association said hes opposed to the school moving into the vacant building because of traffic concerns and a change to the communitys master plan.
We'd like it to stay an office park and make sure that it's viable, successful and continues to be that way, Miller said.
The issue goes before the Alpharetta City Council on Aug. 22.
WSBTV
