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The calls to hold school boards accountable for the material they provide to students are spreading like wildfire across the country.
Parents are waking up to the fact that the schools have been pushing extreme agendas for years now, and they are furious.
In Dearborn, Michigan, represented in Congress by either Debbie Dingell or Rashida Tlaib depending on where one lives, Muslim parents were furious when they found out the content within several LGBTQ books in the school district’s library. The issue originally was raised by the conservative Christian community within Dearborn, and now the two religious groups are protesting at school board meetings together and in unison.
Hundreds of Muslim protesters denounced the teaching and corrupting of their children, and started the session with a prayer from the Quran. Muslims make up a large portion of the population in Dearborn, and it is home to the largest mosque in North America, the Islamic Center of America.
Protesters came equipped with signs reading “Stop brainwashing our children,” and “Quit grooming students,” along with a spirit of determination in having their voices heard. Other protesters held signs referencing both the Bible and the Quran as their reasons against the LGBTQ indoctrination. Muslim protesters at the were having none of the excuses the school board was giving.
When the board attempted to discuss other issues, the crowd of approximately 800 refused. The board also attempted to restrict authorized speakers to a three-minute limit at the podium, which was met with even more resistance.
Seemingly unable to read the room, the board then requested anyone not authorized to speak to go to one of the overflow rooms or to leave so that the meeting would be back within fire code. The request to clear out did not come at the beginning of the meeting, but right before the public comment part of the meeting was to begin.
Frustrated and exhausted with the leadership of the meeting, Dearborn resident and local activist Hassan Aoun proceeded to lead the protesters into chanting, “Vote them out!”
Christian and Muslim parents have joined forces to protest a Dearborn Public Schools meeting in Michigan to protest the inclusion of “woke” LGBTQ+ books in schools that contain sexually explicit material.@DanaMetcalfe5 pic.twitter.com/oXB0mxxlJQ
— Ken Winsor (@KenWinsor4) October 12, 2022
“They disrespected us,” said Hassan Aoun.
Police eventually recommended the meeting be cancelled due to the protesters, according to the district.
“Trustees eventually opted to recess until order was restored,” the district said in a statement released Wednesday. “However, the crowd refused to settle or disperse, so at the urging of the Dearborn Police Department, trustees decided to suspend the meeting for that night.”
The original protest on Sept. 25, has fueled parents and protesters to attend the more limited follow-up board meeting on Oct. 13. The meeting is limited to 600 people and has banned displayable signs.
Even with differing religious beliefs, residents such as Stephanie Butler, a Dearborn Christian parent who helped remove LGBTQ books in the past, and Nagi Almudhegi who opened the Sept. 25 meeting, demonstrated that a unified parental front can protect their children from indoctrination in schools:
“Right now, Dearborn is in the middle of a great awakening,” Almudhegi said. “And it’s long overdue and it’s about time. A month ago, we had one Stephanie Butler. Today, mashallah (God willed), I see there are hundreds of Stephanie Butlers. And tomorrow, inshallah (God willing), we will have thousands. We’re not going to be silenced anymore. We’re not going to be intimidated. And together united we will make a difference.
“These people want to sexualize our kids,” she exclaimed. “We can’t have Bibles. We can’t have Qurans. But we can have smut.”
“God is watching out,” Butler said. “God is here to protect us. I can say now my heart is full seeing the community come together in the name of protecting our children.”
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James Lasher is a Copy Editor for Charisma Media.
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