Wokeism is a religion that eats itself. This was almost too sad to see. An unidentified British teacher is in serious trouble for being intolerant. The irony is that he was trying to be as tolerant as possible.
Khakan Qureshi, a gay Muslim activist, came to Wood Green Academy in the West Midlands of Britain to give a speech. What was the topic? Being gay and Muslim. According to The Daily Mail, this wasn’t Mr. Qureshi’s first time visiting the school. Qureshi had previously spoken on the topic in 2020 and received a warm welcome. It was clear that there were many Muslim students who had enrolled at another school in the past, so things could not be as peaceful this time. It is diverse and half the students are Muslim.
Qureshi was asked a series of tough questions during a question-and-answer session. Qureshi answered a sixth-grader question, “Do you agree that being gay or Muslim wrong?” He said that some students were so hardcore that they wouldn’t let him finish his talk. Qureshi said that the students kept telling him that it was not possible to be gay and Muslim, as this would be against the teachings in the Koran. He also received death threats.
Our unidentified teacher is back. Qureshi’s visit was followed by a lecture from the teacher to his students on tolerance. While that would have been fine in itself, the teacher went beyond the mark and told the students:
We live in a multicultural and open country. We accept different religions. Twenty-one years ago, a group made up of Muslims drove airplanes into buildings in order to kill thousands. People stood up at that moment and said “No, we cannot condemn Muslims for the actions of a few.” We are a tolerant society. That means that while we might not agree with some of your views, you still have the right.
Whoops.
His comments were recorded on a cell phone, of course. The backlash began. According to Daily Mail, hundreds of students and parents complained about the teacher at the school. The teacher was accused of using the term “Muslims” instead of “terrorists”. The teacher was also accused of linking Islam and terrorism.
The teacher may have thought that he was teaching a lesson about Islam by pointing out that all Muslims should not be treated the same, despite the 9/11 terrorists’ intentions. Qureshi stated that he never identified himself as Muslim after the 9/11 attacks. He said, “Muslims are being discriminated against and denigrated.” Police are currently investigating the threats to Qureshi’s life.
The teacher receives the bronze medal for tolerance. It is impossible to satisfy the demands of tolerance from all corners of the globe. There was nothing the teacher could have said or done. He could have remained silent and perhaps apologized to Qureshi privately. He was suddenly accused of being a bigot against Muslims for trying to quell homophobia.
There is no one right answer. There is no right answer. The answer and definition of tolerance will vary from person to person and place to place. Only one thing is certain: the right to be offended. There will be a public apology, and mandatory public kowtowing, and there’s a possibility that the teacher will be looking for employment by next week. That’s the reward for playing the tolerance game.
