It's not a joke, Mansour
Hectoring Muslim students to celebrate behavior they can't approve shows a stunning disrespect for deeply-held values that until 'yesterday' were virtually ubiquitous
A schoolteacher in Edmonton, Canada, was caught last week when a recording of her rant against Muslim students — or perhaps against one student — was posted to Twitter. The student(s) had declined to participate in the school’s “Pride” celebrations.
The recording has been getting around. First posted on Monday, at the time of writing it has more than two million views on one Canadian post. The recording raises a number of important issues which are already being discussed on social media and in news reports. My interest in this particular substack is the astonishing statements this teacher makes in regard to Islam and belonging in Canada. The Edmonton teacher’s words seem to represent a perspective that needs probing.
The teacher told the student(s) — whom she identified as Muslim — that if people did not agree with Canadian laws they “can’t be Canadian.” She continued: “You don’t belong here. And I mean it. I really mean it. And it’s not a joke, Mansour.”
Leading up to these statements the teacher first mentioned laws against homosexual practice in Uganda. Then she declared that in Canada, “We believe that people can marry whomever they want.” This was the law the teacher required to be approved.
Canada’s Parliament passed a same-sex law in 2005, virtually yesterday in cultural terms. At the time, many Canadians disagreed with the law’s alteration of the definition of marriage from a union of a man and a women. Many still hold to the traditional concept of marriage they’d held till 2005. Can these really not be Canadian? Do they not belong here?
If the same-sex law is new, the requirement for students in public schools to participate in celebrations of “Pride” is like a few minutes old — almost nonexistent just five years ago. This year many Muslim parents are resisting by keeping their children home from school when the school mandates such celebrations. In London, Ontario, where 10 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, the Council of Imams advised, “When it comes to activities related to ‘Pride Month’…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.”
This makes good sense to many Canadian Christians who base their convictions about marriage on the teaching of the Bible. Many of these would also agree with the London Council of Imams’ statement that, “as a secular school board, public schools should not be taking positions to promote a certain set of values and beliefs over or at the expense of others.”
These Christians have something very significant in common with many Muslims. And in fact the stand that Muslims are taking may even make it easier for concerned Christian parents to get a hearing from Canadian schools.