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Rabat – A teacher from Edmonton Public Schools in Canada’s Alberta province sparked outrage after lashing out at Muslim students for not accepting to take part in pride month activities, due to them being “against their beliefs.”
A disturbing recording that has been going viral since last week documents remarks made by the female teacher against the Muslim students, where she said that the students “don’t belong to Canada” if they don’t accept to take part in similar activities.
The teacher can be heard yelling at the students saying: “It goes two ways! If you want to be respected for who you are, if you don’t want to suffer prejudice for your religion, your color of skin, your whatever, then you better give it back to people who are different than you.”
She went on to refer to Uganda executing people if they think an individual is gay.
“If you believe that kind of thing, then you don’t belong here, because that is what Canada believes. We believe in freedom,” she said.
The National Post said that the school reacted to the incident, confirming the authenticity of the recording.
The school added that it is “taking steps to address the situation.”
Many, including Muslim communities across the world have criticized the teacher’s remarks, suggesting that the pupils’ choice is also part of freedom of expression.
Journalist and blogger Sulaiman Ahmed commented on the situation, stressing that the situation “clearly exemplifies my ongoing assertion that liberals will never be your allies.”
“The irony lies in her advocacy for freedom, while simultaneously denying these students the freedom to opt out of LGBTQ+ education in schools. They aim to control the minds of your children; will you stop them?” he wrote.
Many parents expressed concerns about LGBTQ-themed activities and their involvement in international education curricula, emphasizing that they stand against their religious beliefs.
On May 31, the London Council of Imams in Canada published a press release stressing that parents play an integral role in the education of their children and are critical to empowering them to remain steadfast on their faith and beliefs.”
The council also took a distance from giving an opinion on the situation, stressing that it is not in the “position to direct parents on whether to choose to have your child(ren) to attend or be absent from school, adding that parents “should use their discretion to decide whether to keep their children at home or send them on certain days.”
Emphasizing that such activities are not limited to a single day or a month, the council called on parents to “use wisdom” and “patience” to tackle the situation.
