My name is Mohammed Aziz, and I'm a young Black man living in the City of Ottawa, Province of Ontario. I was born in the town of Kano, northern Nigeria, to a Nigerian father and Iranian mother. Seven in the morning on February 5, 1988. That's when I came into this world. Due to my unique heritage, I look quite different from most Nigerians. I stand six feet two inches tall, slim and fit, with light brown skin, curly black hair and pale gray eyes. My family moved to the region of Ontario, Canada, sixteen years ago. I've been living in this great country ever since. My parents stay in the City of Toronto, but I came to study at the University of Ottawa because I wanted to experience life outside of T.O. for a little bit.
Life in the Confederation of Canada can sure be complicated, man. Especially if you're from a non- European background. There is a lot of racism and discrimination everywhere, but in Canada we have it down to a science. We call ourselves a multicultural nation, but we really aren't. There are lots of Africans, Arabs, Chinese and Indians living in the Province of Ontario but they're seen as an invasive force by a certain percentage of the Canadian population. How do I feel about this? I wish other immigrants would try harder to integrate themselves into Canadian society. It's okay to be whatever race, culture or religion you happen to hail from, but remember that your allegiance should be to Canada, its legal, cultural and social norms. Some immigrants forget that, and I'm ashamed to say that most of those who forget or ignore these Canadian norms tend to be Muslims.
As I said before, my father, Akbar Aziz is a Muslim man from the Republic of Nigeria. He moved to the Republic of Iran from his homeland of Nigeria for business, fell in love with the culture and even married an Iranian woman. My mother Afareen is Iranian, and she had no problem adjusting to Nigerian culture after moving there from Iran. My family moved to Canada in search of better opportunities. My father came to Canada with an Oxford University degree, and yet he had trouble finding work as a civil engineer in the vastness of Canada for years. See what I mean about Canada being racist? How long do you think it would take a White guy with an Oxford University degree in civil engineering to find work in Canada? Probably a matter of minutes. Nevertheless, my father found work in his field and he was able to support his family. As for my mother, she went back to school. Mom studied Nursing at Ryerson University for four years and now works as a hospital in Toronto. She had a Nursing degree from the University of Tehran in the Islamic Republic of Iran but Canada doesn't seem to value college and university degrees from outside of America or the European Union. And that's a shame.
My family has done its best to adapt to the facts and hidden truths about our dear Canadian culture. It's no secret that Nigerians are a very business-minded people and my pops always told me to focus on education. It's the gateway to success in western society if you're an immigrant. That's why I am in the Telfer MBA program at the University of Ottawa. A lot of people think that because my family is Muslim then I must be super religious. Dude, I can't even recall the last time I went to a mosque and I don't feel bad about it in any way, shape or form. My father is a Muslim man with a secular mindset, and he raised me in the same manner. Do I believe that God exist? Absolutely. Am I super religious? Hell no to the power of ten. I live my life my way. Only our merciful God can judge me, not some raging old guy in a mosque.