Attendees of march against LGBTQ education don't represent all Muslims, says professor

Some of the protesters at this week's march against LGBTQ-inclusive education in Halifax were noted to be wearing visible signs of their Muslim faith.

ButSyedAdnan Hussain, an associate professor of religion at Saint Mary's University, says objecting to LGBTQ rights has little to do with core Islamic beliefs.

He says there's no explicit condemnation of homosexuality in the Qu'ran. He worries that many decided to participate based on rampant misinformation instead.

"I think there's a tendency to say, Islam rejects X, Y, or Z, but it does not," Hussainsaid.

The march that took place in Halifax and cities across the country on Wednesdaywas organized by asocially conservative group called 1 Million March 4 Children. The groupdoesn't want gender-identity issues taught or discussed in schools.

While the founder of the march, Kamel El-Cheikh, is a Muslim man who lives in Ottawa, those protesting came from a variety of different cultural backgrounds.

The protest was met by a counter-protest, which drew members of the LGBTQ community and its allies.

Hussain, whose research focuses on LGBTQ rights and Islam and the Canadian diaspora,spoke with Information Morning Nova Scotia on Friday.