As I walk through the halls of the University of Ottawa in the Canadian Capital, I see a lot of Arab guys with White girls. I shake my head, and shudder. Why am I doing this? Am I some of racist? Am I intolerant? Far from it. In fact, I could tell you a thing or two about real intolerance. My name is Mona Bagis, and I'm a Turkish Christian woman who recently moved to the beautiful province of Ontario, Canada, from the region of Malatya, Republic of Turkey. Being a Christian lady in the Republic of Turkey isn't easy, especially since the Muslim majority is quite intolerant toward other religions, though Turkey likes to present itself as a tolerant, flexible and western-style democratic nation. This couldn't be further from the truth. There is growing Islamist sentiment in once-secular Turkey, and my guess is that it won't be long before the secular government and way of life are gone, and Sharia Law dominates this once-progressive nation.
That's life in Muslim nations for you, but you can't tell that to my Western friends, especially the young women. They actually believe the Muslims when they're talking about being tolerant of other religions. Walk around with a cross around your neck in any Muslim country from Syria to Kuwait, from Jordan to Indonesia, from Senegal to Kosovo. You'll soon discover that you aren't welcome, and that the locals, both male and female, view Christians and all other religions as the enemies of Islam. Those White girls I see walking around with Arab guys have no idea that their boyfriends secretly despise all other religions and view the Western way of life as being flawed, insane, and just unclean in the eyes of God. Well, their interpretation of God anyway.
While growing up in the region of Malatya, my family and I often had to be discreet about our faith. My father Bahar Bagis is a convert from an Islamic background. He was born in Istanbul City to a Sunni Muslim family. While visiting some friends in the City of Baalbek in southern Lebanon, he met some Christian missionaries and grew curious about the Christian faith. Months later, after learning about the Bible, he converted to Christianity and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior. My mother, Justine Hamid, is originally from Lebanon and she's the daughter of Bishop Jacob Hamid, the man who taught my father Bahar Bagis about Christianity. My father once worked as a police officer in Malatya, but got fired after the captain of the police station where he worked found out he was a Christian. Now he works at our town library.
In the supposedly secular nation of Turkey, Christians experience a lot of discrimination daily. If you're a Christian man or a Christian woman in the Republic of Turkey, you can't be a police officer or a member of the military. The government doesn't trust Christians, Jews, or anyone who isn't a Muslim, no matter how secular they claim to be. The Republic of Turkey is well on its way to becoming an Islamist country, even though many Turks are in denial about it. Sooner or later, the Islamists will gain power, and then it's burkas for every woman in Turkey and a bullet to the head for anyone who isn't Muslim and lives within the boundaries of our beautiful nation of Turkey. That's what it means to live under a Muslim government, ladies and gentlemen. Westerners have got to wake up and stop believing the lies that Muslim immigrants feed them about their supposed tolerance and desire to assimilate into Western society. You cannot be a true Muslim and believe in democracy, women's rights and religious freedom. These ideals go against the true meaning of being Muslim, which is to spread Islam worldwide by any means necessary. I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm telling the truth.
When I arrived at the University of Ottawa in the beautiful and diverse City of Ottawa, Ontario, I experienced a brand new world. We have about seventy churches in all of Turkey, and Turkish Christians have learned to watch their backs because we're surrounded by hostile Muslims who despise our faith and the government either looks the other way when we're attacked, or they actually help our aggressors. Of course, they'll deny this, stating that the constitution of Turkey provides for freedom of religion and secular government. Complete and utter bullshit, ladies and gentlemen. I didn't think there would be that many Arabs in the Capital of Canada. I saw so many Syrians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Saudis, Palestinians, and of course my fellow Turks. I speak several languages, including my native Turkish, along with French, Spanish, Arabic, and English, the language I use to communicate with you, dear reader. I have both Turkish and Lebanese blood in me, so I look exotic, to say the least. I'm always getting approached by Arab guys at school and elsewhere but I know better than to fall for their charms. Most of the Arab guys you see dating White girls and other non-Muslim females are doing what's called Romeo Jihad. They seduce a non-Muslim female into joining Islam, then marry her off to one of their buddies before moving onto the next female target. That's why you see so many White women in Europe, North America and elsewhere joining Islam left and right. The Arab guys are very seductive and persuasive, like all good Devils. Their mojo doesn't work on me, though. I'm a proud Turkish Christian woman. I wouldn't leave my religion for anything or anyone. Even if it meant my immediate and certain death.
When most people look at me, I wonder what they see. I stand five-foot-eight, curvy, with curly ebony hair, dark bronze skin and light brown eyes. I've been mistaken for anything from Latina to Lebanese and everything in between. I proudly tell people that I'm Turkish, and they give me puzzled looks when they see the silver crucifix hanging around my neck. Yes, I am Turkish and yes, I am a proud Christian woman. Christianity has been in Turkey for a long time, and we survive, in spite of Islamist attempts to get rid of us. A long time ago, everybody in Turkey was Christian. Then the Arabs came and conquered Turkey, and imposed Islam upon the Christian population. Every Turkish Christian who wouldn't convert to Islam was either killed or sold into slavery by the Arab conquerors. Christianity came into Turkey as a beautiful, peaceful and loving religion once embraced and practiced by all Turks. Islam came into Turkey at sword point, and has never left. My parents encouraged me to study outside Turkey, as do the parents of many young Turkish Christians these days. They fear the rise of Islamist sentiment in Turkey after the Arab Spring, and with good reason.