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.
My view of the world often surprises the people I meet, especially westerners, once they find out certain things in my personal background. I don't believe that religion and government should be the same entity. It leads to chaos, especially when fundamentalists seize power. That's not good for anyone in the long run, trust me. Sharia Law is a bad idea. Don't let it come to Europe, Australia, New Zealand or North America. It would fuck things up for everyone, Muslims included. Also, I have lots of friends from other religions. Most of my buddies are Christians and Hindus, with a Jewish guy or two thrown in. See? I truly don't discriminate. Don't ask me the quote unquote typical Muslim questions either. I have no love for either the State of Israel or whatever Palestine calls itself this week. They can all go to hell down there. Why is the world focusing its attention on these two? Seriously. We've got bigger fish to try, like dealing with global warming, and fixing the global financial market.
Why do I feel this way about geopolitics? Please allow me to explain. As the son of a Black man who married a Persian woman, I have experienced firsthand the racism of Arab/Persian society. You should have seen the way the Persians looked at my family and I when we visited my mother's side of the family in the City of Tehran a while back. We might as well be Martians in their eyes. They found us that strange. Arab men feel that they can marry women of any race or religion but they get MAD when they see a non-Arab male with an Arab lady. They're more racist than White guys, man. Not every White guy will attack a Black man he sees with a White lady. Arab males and Persian males are far more vicious and jealous when it comes to "their" women. And they lack any kind of self-control. They're more emotional than a brat at a toy store. They will attack you. Trust me on that one.
You can forgive me when I say I don't have much love for Arab guys or Persian guys. They've insulted my family more times than I care to admit. Simply for being who we are. They called my mother a race traitor for marrying a Black Muslim man instead of an Arab or Persian male. Fuck those bastards, man. I was actually cheering the American armed forces and their allies when they were kicking butt in Iraq and Afghanistan along with Pakistan in the aftermath of 9/11. I hate terrorists and religious fanatics who commit murder in the name of religion. And I am Muslim! Now you've seen everything. People have got to stop making assumptions about me simply because of my faith. Would it surprise you to know that I visited several churches on many occasions with Christian friends of mine and found them far more friendly and welcoming than the average mosque?