People of different faiths are joining forces to protest gender ideology curriculum they find inappropriate in Canadian schools, according to The Toronto Star.
The issue that has become integral to school board discussions and beyond in the U.S. is no exception in Canada as well, where, according to the outlet, parents sporting hijabs and "keffiyeh" or a scarf symbolizing Palestinian solidarity, stood beside parents who wore Bible verses on their shirts.
All because these unlikely allies have a common goal.
"When I came here 22 years ago, the Christians were the majority, and I was a Muslim," Aziz Wadya, an Egyptian immigrant and one of the Muslims criticizing the LGBTQ+ ideological expansion, said, per the report.
"They did not force the agenda to teach my kid Christianity. They respected my identity, even though they were the majority. Now, less than one percent of the population force their agenda on every single one of us," he added.
MUSLIM ACTIVIST GIVES POWERFUL SPEECH AGAINST FORCED LGBTQ CURRICULUM: ‘OUR PEOPLE ARE NOT BACKWARD'
The protest garnering media attention erupted in downtown Calgary, a city in the Canadian province of Alberta, but those opposing the gender ideology curriculum weren't alone. Prepared to shout back, counterprotesters urged the discontent parents to "leave queer kids alone."
But one Christian – Joe Schellenberg – described his group's display of unity with Muslims as "very sweet," The Star reported.
"I'm so happy we can come together on this … One Muslim lady came up to me earlier and just blessed me, put her hand on me as a Christian, and I just felt that was a very sweet moment," he said.
Similar to disputes that have unfolded in the United States, some parents behind the protests are concerned that schools are focusing too much on the topic, offering instruction about sexual content and hosting LGBTQ+ themed events such as drag queen story hour.
In the backdrop, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted the American right-wing recently, after other dustups ensued surrounding Muslim students skipping school to avoid pride events and a teacher allegedly criticized them for doing so, saying, "It goes two ways. If you want to be respected for who you are, if you don’t want to suffer prejudice for your religion, your color of skin or whatever, then you better give it back to people who are different from you. That’s how it works."
Trudeau, speaking to the Muslim community at a mosque in Calgary, received a plea from someone who asked that he help protect their culture, and "belief, the sin that you are doing to them."
Trudeau responded, "First of all, there is an awful lot of misinformation and disinformation out there [from] people on social media, particularly fueled by the American right-wing are spreading a lot of untruths about what is actually… in the curriculum."
Mourra, a father of five who was identified as the organizer behind the Calgary protest, took his discontent with school curriculum a step further and removed his kids from public schools altogether, choosing to homeschool them instead.
He, like Schellenberg, said he was pleasantly surprised that groups that once opposed each other could come together and rally around a common cause.
"I felt so shocked when I saw the people who used to scream against us and make fun of our religion, mopping the floor with us, to come to our protest and say Allahu akbar," he said, according to The Toronto Star.
Muslim parents have also spoken out in the U.S., including activist Sameera Munshi, who joined other parents in criticizing Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools for removing an option to opt-out of LGBTQ+ sexuality curriculum.
She accused the board of mocking Muslim values and only agreeing to care for the Muslim community and protect their rights if they abide by popular ideological narratives.
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Fox News' Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.
