CANADIAN COUNCIL OF IMAMS and MUSLIM ASSOCIATION OF CANADA calls FOR A UNIFIED FRONT FROM DIVERSE FAITHS to protect the Religious Rights of ALL STUDENTS and ALL PARENTS

A WORLD WIDE CALL HAS BEEN ISSUED, make it heard!!!

“September 18, 2023

We, the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) and the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), are aware of multiple protests scheduled to take place across Canada on September 20, 2023. Neither of our organizations play a role in organizing these demonstrations and we lack sufficient information about the parties involved in the march in different cities. While we do not endorse the March, we respect the freedom to protest peacefully. We do not discourage individuals from making the decision to attend or not for themselves. For those who choose to attend, we advise all participants to behave in a legally and morally responsible manner.

We recognise the intended purpose of community members to hold these protests is to maintain the rights of parents to be actively involved in their children’s education, and for children to uphold their religious  beliefs. We are concerned about certain groups who might attempt to divert attention away from this purpose, possibly incite violence or harm.  We call upon all groups to reject such attempts publicly and forcefully.

We remain committed to advocating for the concerns of parents and ensuring the well-being of children. We also encourage parents to continue to engage with their local school boards to effectively address these concerns that are affecting their children. 

For further information on the Islamic positions on sexual orientation and gender identity, please click here to read the Navigating Differences statement issued by Islamic scholars earlier this year.

We call for the following:

Canada is regrettably moving in a direction where advocates of sexual and gender ethics contrary to the Islamic faith are going beyond their limits by imposing their worldview on our children, often without the knowledge or consent of parents. By doing so, they both deny parents the right to guide their children’s development and exploit the power imbalance that makes it difficult for children to express conscientious objection. 

We demand that the constitutional rights of parents and children be respected as enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, emphasizing religious freedom and expression.

Enforcing agreement with beliefs and practices that are incompatible with the Islamic moral code is harmful to our children. This means that mandated celebration or affirmation of LGBTQ, including direct or indirect impositions to participate in “Pride” events and activities, constitutes an infringement on the legal rights of Muslims. 

We demand that every child deserves a coercion-free educational environment, where they are not forced to engage in activities contrary to their faith. In this regard, we call upon all politicians, school boards and districts, principals and staff to guarantee the safety and religious rights of all students, and to ensure students are not penalized for upholding their religious beliefs without enforcing them upon others.

We recognize the growing frustrations among parents with school boards and teachers overruling the right of parents to awareness and participation in their child’s education, both in class and in extra-curricular activities. While some Provincial governments have supported parental rights, others have yet to sufficiently clarify their stance on protecting the religious rights of both children and parents while implementing policies to safeguard such rights.

We call for government policies to balance between the rights of the parents as the ultimate deciders for their children’s education and values, and the government mandated obligations under their respective education legislation.  

These concerns transcend the Canadian Muslim community, touching the hearts of families and communities across Canada.

We call for a unified front among diverse faith communities and all who uphold the tenets of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

God Bless these Imams and the Muslim Association of Canada, for the moral fortitude to make this statement. They of course do not need my approval, and I am humble enough to know that. But I do approve, perhaps I mean I am grateful.

Tonight they are in my prayers. But they have been for some time, almost 8 or 9 months now.

I have been praying for Imams, Rabbis, Pastors, Priests. I have long believed people of all faiths needed to understand that the war on our faiths was going to be universal. That they were coming for families, religious communities, and the Word of God itself.

When I saw 70 then 80 then 82 Churches burning in Canada with silence, or almost encouragement from our Prime Minister, I felt it in my bones. When I started to dig into the Bills being passed, and the ideology going into the schools, and the sterilization of minors without a pause button, I felt it in my bones. When I saw bills that would jail parents and jail medical professionals for opposing a gender transition, I felt it in my bones. No professional could press pause and keep their freedom? That is not normal. It is not normal for schools to refer children to clinics without parents knowledge.

When I saw that the discrimination was now being interpreted differently, I felt it in my bones. When I saw the attacks on the Nation State I felt it in my bones. When I saw laws like Bill C36 in BC being passed I felt it in my bones.

Tonight right now, marks a prayer answered. God works in wonderful ways. How you pray to God belongs to you, but do it.

I ask that you share this statement. Please consider it carefully. Think about their INCLUSION. They do not simply insist on the religious rights of Muslim parents and Muslim children, they do so for ALL parents and for ALL children.

THINK ON THAT. THINK ON IT. Who of our Religious Leaders are speaking with such strong statements?

They further call on a Unified Front from Diverse Faiths. Please send this statement with a request for a response to your Priests, Rabbis, or other Religious Leaders.

THERE HAS BEEN A CALL. Now make that call be heard WORLDWIDE. Who will answer? Work to make the power of this statement felt across the Globe Please share either my blog or more importantly the statement itself. The reverberations are massive.

https://www.macnet.ca/2023/official-statements/joint-statement-sept18/