'Leave Our Kids Alone': Muslim Group Slams Canadian PM’s ‘divisive’ comments
In a Monday statement, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) strongly condemned remarks on recent protests made by certain politicians, including our Prime Minister, as well as statements from school boards, unions, and reports from some media outlets.
“By characterizing the peaceful protests of thousands of concerned parents as hateful, Canadian leaders and school boards are setting a dangerous precedent of using their position of influence to unjustly demonize families, and alienate countless students,” it said.
The statement comes as thousands of Canadians, including Muslims, marched on September 20 in opposition to gender ideology taught in the classrooms. The 1 Million March 4 Children included 102 cities and towns across Canada.
The Ottawa march included as many as 10,000 people. Protestors voiced their opposition to school indoctrination programs on sex education that include gender ideology, made-up pronouns and mixed bathrooms in schools. The protestors also argued that teenagers should not be encouraged to embrace gender-altering medical procedures that would scar them for life.
The peaceful march included a multitude of signs, ranging from “Leave Our Kids alone” and “Education not Indoctrination” to “Democracy not dictatorship” and “Let boys be boys and girls be girls.”
Trudeau took to the social network X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, slamming the protests as an act of “hate”.
The MAC noted that “thousands of Muslims, joined by other faith-based groups, protested to raise their concerns, calling for their rights as parents in relation to their children’s education.”
“Their intent was to be heard, not to sow division. Parents should have the absolute right to advocate for the wellbeing of their children,” it stressed.
The organization added that such comments by Canadian leaders will “increase the potential for Muslim children to face increased bullying and harassment in schools, both by educators and peers, a trend that’s already distressingly escalating.”
“Civil rights organizations and Muslim organizations across the country have documented numerous validated accounts detailing situations where children have been coerced into activities that contradict their faith, or where parents teaching religious values to their offspring have been unfairly attacked,” it added.
The Muslim Association of Canada further urged politicians to “retract their deeply inflammatory and divisive comments and issue an apology to the thousands of Canadian parents hurt by these comments.”
Source: Agencies
