Turkish apostate of Islam from Germany

I've only known the world through the mosque or the Turks or the Muslims. German kids or families, I knew nothing about that.

Betuel is 23, single, and was born and raised in Germany. She began her university studies in chemistry one year ago.

When I was young, I wanted to wear a headscarf, because my mother wore a headscarf and kids often want to do things they see their mothers do. Also, it wasn't as though I looked any different from the other kids in my community.

Betuel's parents, who immigrated to Germany from Turkey, are deeply religious. Since Betuel was five, she wore a headscarf, prayed five times a day, and attended a Koran school every weekend.

I embraced the fundamentalist idea since I was a kid. I accepted and believed everything that I was told. I never questioned the preaching, even if they were preaching hate. My parents deemed them righteous and irreproachable, and I simply accepted that.

In Betuel's childhood years, she had no exposure to the life outside of the Turkish community. This was the case even in her elementary school. She was raised in an isolated, religious, fundamentalist environment and spoke very little German. It was only when she entered high school that her classmates were predominantly German, and she was introduced to the world outside the strict teachings of her religion and her community.

In high school, I distanced myself from my German classmates who were Christians. I didn't want anything to do with these awful, unbelieving Germans, whom I believed were going straight to hell. They avoided me too; I dressed differently and had different beliefs and views on everything. So, the hate and rejection went both ways – from my side and from their side also.

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