A public school in Edmonton, Alberta is under fire after a teacher was caught berating Muslim students in her class for reportedly skipping “pride activities.”
A disturbing audio recording is being circulated on social media in which a female teacher at Londonderry School can be heard yelling at her Muslim students and telling them that they “don’t belong” in Canada.
Her outrage was apparently caused by the fact that some of them did not attend the school’s LGBTQ-themed activities to mark Pride Month.
In the recording, the teacher can be heard explaining that one or more of her Muslim students had decided to spend time away from school while “pride activities” were taking place in the classroom, presumably due to religious objection.
“If you think it’s acceptable to not show up because you think that there’s some pride activities going on at school, right, oh that’s fine… But meanwhile, all those kids who are, you know, involved in let’s say the Gay Straight Alliance or whatever, I don’t even know if we have that anymore in our school… they’re here when we did Ramadan… they’re showing respect to the class for your religion, right, for your beliefs,” the teacher is heard saying, voice pressed with anger.
She then begins yelling in rage, raising her voice to the room of youth.
“IT GOES TWO WAYS. If you want to be respected for who you are, if you don’t wanna suffer prejudice for your religion, your color of skin, your whatever … then you better give it back to people who are different from you. That’s how it works, it’s an exchange.”
The teacher continues by telling the minors that homosexuals are “executed” in Uganda, and says: “If you believe that kind of thing, then you don’t belong here because that is not what Canada believes. We believe in freedom, we believe that people can marry whomever they want, that is in the law.”
She then tells the students that if they don’t agree that same-sex marriage should be protected by law, then “you can’t be Canadian, you don’t belong here, and I mean it, I really mean it.”
One student, Mansour, was singled out by the yet-unidentified woman.
“And it’s not a joke, Mansour. Back and forth, you want it, you gotta give it.”
The clip ends with the woman possibly being addressed by another adult for her yelling at the adolescents. She then apologizes and says, “It just makes me angry… sorry, I’m a little worked up.”
The Publica has received confirmation from Edmonton Public School’s Communications Consultant that the viral audio recording is in fact that of a teacher employed at Londonderry School.
In a statement provided to The Publica, the district alleges: “Edmonton Public Schools is aware of the audio recording of a teacher at Londonderry School circulating on social media channels. The school and Division are taking steps to address the situation. Due to the Division’s legislated privacy obligations, we are not able to provide any further information.”
The statement continued: “Since 2019, the Division has recognized the first week of June as Pride Week and held celebrations throughout the city in our schools. It’s an opportunity to recognize the diversity in schools and talk about inclusion, acceptance and kindness. Every student should feel they belong at school. This is a core value at every school across our Division.”
On Twitter, the audio was first posted by a Muslim man named Hamzah. After uploading the clip, Hamzah noted that the Londonderry teacher was quick to employ the “‘go back where you came from’ rhetoric.”
He also pointed out the teacher’s mischaracterization of the recently-passed Ugandan law. He explains that the law “only proposes capital punishment for aggravated crimes in which consent isn’t taken or possible,” but argues that the teacher had clear “contempt” for Africa and Africans.
Hamzah also addressed the student singled out by his teacher in the classroom with a supportive statement: “We’re on your side Mansour.”
Since the audio was posted, the Canadian Muslim community has rallied around condemning the teacher for her statements.
"We celebrate your Ramadan and Eid so you must celebrate LGBT"
— Waasim (@waasim_) June 6, 2023
First. No one asked you to.
Second. I think you meant to say
"We celebrate the bits of your religion we find suitable and we want you to completely turn your moral basis upside down for us"
Third. Funny how https://t.co/aY7qymS0Iq
Another woman exclaimed that she would happily give up the Ramadan activities held in public schools “in return for Muslim kids to be allowed to believe the way they are supposed to.”
A third noted that such public celebrations of Eid parties or Ramadan Iftars are “thrown back” in the faces of Muslims.
“This is why we should be hesitant when these liberals hold Eid parties or Ramadan Iftars for us. See how it gets thrown back in your face? I’d rather not be accepted by them than be forced to accept their view on morality.”
The original uploader of the audio, Hamzah, directed other Muslims to a public statement called “Navigating Differences: Clarifying Sexual and Gender Ethics in Islam.”
The statement asserts that the “increasing push to promote LGBTQ-centric values among children through legislation and regulations” disregards parental consent and prevents parents and children from expressing conscientious objection.
“Such policies subvert the agency of Muslim parents to teach their children their religiously grounded sexual ethics, violate their constitutional right to freely practice their religion, and contribute to an atmosphere of intolerance toward faith communities.”
The Muslim scholars and signatories on the statement further assert:
“We recognize that our moral code conflicts with the goals of LGBTQ proponents. We also acknowledge their constitutional right to live in peace and free from abuse. Nevertheless, we emphasize our God-given and constitutional rights to hold, live by, and promote our religious beliefs in the best manner (Quran, al-Naḥl: 125) without fear of legal reprisal or systematic marginalization. Peaceful coexistence does not necessitate agreement, acceptance, affirmation, promotion, or celebration. We refuse the false choice between succumbing to social pressures to adopt views contrary to our beliefs or facing unfounded charges of bigotry. Such coercive ultimatums undermine prospects for harmonious coexistence.”
The document has been signed by at least 300 Muslims as of the posting of this article.
Muslim families have long been fighting against state institutionalization of “LGBT” subjects in the public domain, objecting to mandatory participation on the basis of their religious beliefs.
In 2019, hundreds of Muslim parents and students in the United Kingdom protested outside of Parkfield Community School in Birmingham over a school program called “No Outsiders” that included lessons about homosexuality and same-sex relationships and marriages.
Lukas Mikelionis for Fox News reported that the protest outside the school “where virtually every child has Muslim parents, reportedly suspended the curriculum in response to the outrage and protests. About 600 children were withdrawn from the school in a single day as a result of the program.”
