As the first English-Arabic public school in the country to offer a curriculum emphasizing the study of Arabic language and culture,[1] it was placed at the center of controversy by opponents.

The committee that designed the school included the original principal Debbie Almontaser (a former teacher and community activist) and several nonprofit groups, including Lutheran Medical Center, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Salaam Club of New York, and the lead partner, the Arab American Family Support Center, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit.

The BBC reports that some attendees have joined to reconnect with their families' culture and homeland; others, with no Arab or Muslim background, because they believe learning the language will give them a valuable skill.

[8] The New York Times reported that KGIA had become the center of controversy as a result of an "organized movement to stop Muslim citizens who are seeking an expanded role in American public life.

[9] Daniel Pipes, an adviser to "Stop the Madrassa" and the founder of Campus Watch, has said that as the school is teaching the Arabic Language, it needs to be held under a "special scrutiny," adding that "In principle it is a great idea – the United States needs more Arabic-speakers.

[8] Founding principal Debbie Almontaser was forced to resign after controversy erupted in August 2007 when the New York Post attacked her and the school for failing to condemn the word "intifada" in an interview.

The Department of Education replaced Reichert with Beshir Abdellatif, a secular Muslim from Tunisia, who in filling the Gibran post resigned from Law, Government and Community Service High School in Cambria Heights, Queens, where he had served since 2008.