Latest / Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo / Wake Up, America! My Past Could Be Your Future

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Wake Up, America! My Past Could Be Your Future · Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo

• 0:02
  Welcome to Worldview Matters. Discussing controversial issues. Discerning current events. Defending biblical Christianity. No topic. Off limits. And now, here's your host, David Fiorazzo.
• 0:20
  Friends, family in Christ, thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of Worldview Matters. This is a very unique one, but an important one. Our guest, we're just going to call her by her first name. She's local to Northeast Wisconsin, ran for office in Green Bay, but she grew up in Pakistan.
• 0:40
  And when we're going to get her story, we're just going to introduce you to Myra, who happens to be in studio. So let's go to her right away. She's got an amazing story. Welcome to Worldview Matters. Thanks, David. Thanks for having me.
• 0:56
  So we met you recently when you came in to the Worldview Matters conference. And that's how I met you and learned a little bit about you and said, I've got to have you share your story. So fasten your seatbelts, friends. This is fascinating because we don't often hear this perspective of someone coming from a Muslim country with that worldview and then coming to America
• 1:21
  And now you're meeting a lot of Americans who are just, we're taking our religious freedoms for granted. We're spoiled here, right? I think so, yes. The church is not too deep here, and you're going, whoa, what the heck? And you're a Christian. You're trying to make sense of all this. First of all, how long have you been in America?
• 1:41
  I have been in the United States since 2015. Actually, I had my anniversary just this month. It was June 15th, yeah. Wow, June 15th. Okay, so welcome. You've been here a while, but let's go back to growing up in Pakistan. By the way, did I mention she ran for office here? We're going to tell you that story too. So you grew up in Pakistan, and then make sure to help us understand a Muslim upbringing and what that culture was like. Go ahead, Myra.
• 2:10
  So I'm a lifelong Christian. I was born into a Christian family. Pakistan has only 1.3% Christians. So very, very small portion of Pakistani population is Christian. Again, grew up in a Christian household, but really followed the culture, which is Islamic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. So a lot of it is you follow what the culture is saying or what,
• 2:37
  your life is on stake. So imagine just going somewhere with your parents and then your parents pulling you aside and be like, hey, just stay quiet. This is not a topic you want to get involved in or just don't say anything. And that can be about mostly about religion. So if somebody doesn't like something that you said, your head can be on the stake. You can be killed for that. And by killing means...
• 3:03
  You know, you can be burned alive or you can be accused of blasphemy. And we can get more into what blasphemy looks like in Pakistan. So let's talk about that for a minute. So you had to keep your faith hidden from the powers that be in Pakistan, or your family could have been killed? Or are there...
• 3:27
  Are there other things? Do they arrest you? Do they make you move, force you out of your home? Are there other consequences if they find out you're not following Islam? No. So you are allowed to follow. You are. And be a Christian. So you are allowed to follow Christ. Okay. However, you're not very free to express your belief openly. Okay.
• 3:51
  So if you say something about Muhammad or if you look up on the internet, there are several cases where as little as something like drinking from a cup of a Muslim fellow can get you in trouble. Just something as small as that because we are not equals. Now, is that because you're a woman or is that because you're a Christian? Because I'm a Christian.
• 4:16
  Being a woman is a totally different story. Yes, that has its own issues. But being a Christian, I am a Christian first, right? So just growing up with that, rape culture is very common. You wake up with a Muslim prayer. So there are Muslim prayers five times a day. And you wake up to that and you go to sleep with that. Wow. So you...
• 4:44
  Even to this day, I remember what that sounded like and how it starts. Just because it was instilled into me, I couldn't avoid it because it was on the speaker. Okay, we're going to go back to that. Yes. Your upbringing. But let's talk about what's been happening for years in Dearborn, Michigan, and downstate Michigan, and also New York City, and all the mosques in Texas. Do you find that to be disturbing based on what you know about that worldview?
• 5:13
  Yes, I do. I think it's scary. I think we need to work together and seek a solution to the problem that we are facing. I mean, when I see New York electing a Muslim mayor who is now conducting Muslim prayers in the city hall. You can hear it in New York.
• 5:36
  Exactly. And then saying inshallah, whereas that's a Muslim word or Islamic word inshallah and things like that, when he was the one saying that we should have separation of state and religion. It's very concerning because just in 2001, we were attacked by Islamic terrorists.
• 5:56
  Okay, I'm glad you brought that up, because we touched on that briefly before we got on the podcast here. You were in Pakistan at the time, right? September 11, 2001. And she mentioned to me that people were celebrating. We forget about this. This is a worldview issue, friends. They see America as the great Satan. They see Israel as, I guess, a little Satan. Or they just want to destroy the Jews and destroy America. Am I not accurate in saying that?
• 6:24
  Yeah. Tell us about what, if you want to fast forward now, you're in Pakistan, 2001, September 11, you see the news and you're watching the news and you're seeing what's going on in New York City, in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon, Pennsylvania, these planes, they're using them as weapons.
• 6:43
  Tell us about the response in Pakistan, generally. Yes. Yeah, so I was in a school van, and some girls talked about it, that, oh, he got them. And... Who's he? Osama bin Laden. Yes. So I am just sitting there quiet because I am furious, but I'm also scared at the same time because if I say a word, my life could be in danger. And I could be... I may be saying the right thing. Yeah.
• 7:13
  But it may not look right to them or not acceptable. And I could be accused of blasphemy because who do they all follow? They follow Muhammad.
• 7:24
  And that's Muhammad's teaching, that Islamic teaching that killed the infidels. So if I say something, I can be in real trouble. So I didn't say anything. And imagine just sitting there and keeping your mouth shut. And you have all these things that you are thinking and you want to say something.
• 7:44
  And you cannot say them. And that's the huge difference in between America and where I grew up. You can at least speak up here. People here hate on America and say things about Jesus and God. And I'm like...
• 8:00
  It's bothersome, but for right or wrong, they have this freedom. And I didn't grow up with that. And I'm just thinking, you know, people, you have the freedom of doing so. As much as you don't like America, you can say that. Some people don't even have that choice.
• 8:18
  Wow. So and I'm sorry, I wanted to just add because I did not answer a part of your question. Yes, there were some people who were celebrating and distributing sweets. I mean, how sick is that? Here, Americans were killed. Have dessert.
• 8:33
  Have dessert because we killed some of the infidels, in my opinion. I think that was the thought. I never really openly talked to somebody about it on what their thought process was. But it has to be that because, I mean, as Christian, I had to be so censored. And it's because of my faith.
• 8:55
  Let me ask you this. I'm glad you brought up your faith. So were you fearful in that environment, or were you just secure in your faith in Christ and saying, you know what, I'm going to do what I need to do under the culture here and not speak up, but I know I love the Lord and I'm secure. Were you afraid that you might do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing at times?
• 9:19
  Yes. So there was a conflict. I am strong in my faith. I'm going to follow God no matter what. I'm going to follow my faith. Even if you put my head on the stake, I am not going to deny God. But at the same time, if you're at a certain place, some people just would openly say, oh, we hate Christians. You guys are just, you are kafir, basically. What is it?
• 9:40
  It's kafir. That's the word. You are an infidel. So you hear that and you just so much want to be like, no, I'm not. Yeah. I'm a follower of Christ. Yeah. And...
• 9:57
  the Bible is the truth. You so much want to say that, but... How hard was it for you to not... I mean, even though there are enemies, but anybody can be saved. God loves the whole world. Not everybody is a child of God.
• 10:13
  But every human being is made in the image of God. Yes. And it's up to us to be ambassadors. How hard was that before you came to America to not share the truth about Jesus Christ and the gospel with people? That must have been really hard.
• 10:29
  Yes. So you have to, first of all, live the life that Christ lived, be kind, be good, and portray that through your actions. But it's really, really hard to just come out and say, like Muslims would say to me all the time that, hey, you should convert.
• 10:47
  I could not say the same thing back. Wow. That is difficult. If you even said that, that's blasphemy because I'm telling them to turn away from their faith. So it was really, really hard because I did not know I had that fire in me, but now I sit here and I think that I always had that fire in me. I always wanted to do something for the people. It's all about the people. It's all about God.
• 11:16
  We are to a point where we are in this world, but that's not how we were designed to be.
• 11:22
  We're still going to get to the point where you ran for office here in Wisconsin. But before we do that, share a little bit, however much you're comfortable with sharing about an arranged marriage from someone who was, I guess, grew up in Pakistan or was Muslim that your parents arranged. Because Americans don't understand that. We don't understand that culture of arranged marriage. And go ahead and just share whatever you'd like about that.
• 11:47
  Yes. So I was married to a Christian man. And that's why, David, I say that culture is so the assimilation of culture is so, so important. So he was a Pakistani man, grew up in a Christian family, just like I did. But he moved to the United States. And then his family asked for my hand in marriage from my father or from my family. And that's how I got married and came here. But things did not work out.
• 12:14
  And this was 10 years, over 10 years ago? Over 10 years ago, in 2015, so about 11 years ago. So I was sent back and things just didn't work out. I came back. I had a valid visa and I called immigration.
• 12:31
  discussed about my green card and everything. And I was able to get my green card. So I was here legally. And I just, instead of, I came here to reconcile, but I just learned that it was not possible. And I started a life of my own. But that's where I ran for the office, because I truly believe that the assimilation
• 12:53
  is very, very important. If you bring everything that you wanted, you should leave everything where you come from and really assimilate to American culture because what's the point of moving if you didn't want to assimilate? Because we have a different culture here and it's pretty nice, it's pretty good, it's pretty chill, and I like it.
• 13:18
  So you see that that's not happening. You see that we're not forcing people to assimilate. We're letting them do it. And it's changing the country little by little. Do you see that happening? What are your thoughts on that? Oh, 100%. I see it happening every single day. It's very concerning because I have lived the life, and I tell people all the time that my past—
• 13:40
  I'm not talking about maybe. My past will be your future if you do not learn. And people say history is very uncomfortable. Why? And I say history, if history is uncomfortable, then you should learn more about it because then you're not going to repeat those things. If you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it. Come on.
• 14:02
  So what's... I wasn't planning on asking you this, but what is one of the solutions then to Christians or just Americans in general just taking for granted the amazing and very rare, if you look around the world and other countries, where...
• 14:17
  250 years we made it so far that we take this for granted. But a lot of nations don't understand these freedoms that we have. It's really hard to keep them up if you don't fight for them. And we're allowing just so much to go on in our country that I think our founding fathers would be blown away. They would be really shocked to see the state of the country today. What are your thoughts about that?
• 14:44
  Yeah, it's very scary, very concerning, David. And let me know if I'm on the right track. Are you asking what the solution might be or what I think it to be? Yeah, I'm sure it's multifaceted, right? There are a lot of different things. But I mean, education is one, teaching true history, the Christian foundations of America. I know that's all part of it. But the church is a problem as well.
• 15:08
  Yes. Because the church isn't talking about the threat of Islam or contrasting Islam with Christianity. So what are some of the things that we can do before it's too late?
• 15:20
  Yes. So, David, it all starts with church. We need churches to speak up. Churches are not talking about abortion issues. They forget that it's not a political issue. It is a biblical issue about genders. I see these flags flying around outside churches. I mean, you can be loving, but you also have to be truthful. Our God is very just. He told the truth.
• 15:46
  Jesus told the truth. Jesus was loving and he was just like, that's the God we serve. So you can't just be people pleaser when it comes to the truth. You have to speak up for the truth. And the other thing I see with people is that people really...
• 16:02
  take, we take our freedoms for granted. Absolutely. We were talking about air conditioning and I was, I asked you, he asked me, asked me this question when we are in our interview, because I did not grow up with these things. We did not have air conditioning when it was really, really hot, or we did not have hot showers. We literally had to boil a pot of water to take a bath in, in winter. So we are, people really do,
• 16:30
  take that for freedom. And we are at to a point where we are letting people get elected into the office that really shouldn't be elected. I mean, look at Mamdani, Ilhan, Eberkawas, who just won primary two days ago. And in one of my interviews, other interviews, I said that I would be very sad. And yes, I am sad that she is...
• 16:54
  Now, she has now one primary and is on her way to our office because she said that 9-11 was our fault because of white supremacy. So white supremacy. I mean, it's ridiculous. Yeah, we've got some hard lefties and I'm hoping that people wake up the further left.
• 17:14
  that the Democrat Party goes, I am hoping and praying that people's eyes would be opened and maybe they'll say, well, we don't really want that kind of America, but we'll get back to that in a minute. I just want to share really quick about Freedom Project Academy.
• 17:29
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• 17:55
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• 18:15
  All right. So back to our conversation, you were talking about recent elections that have been disappointing some outcomes. But Americans have been conditioned and lied to and deceived about our history, about God, about. So they are growing up with these ideas. So that's why they're electing these what we would consider radicals. Yeah. Go ahead and share your thoughts on that.
• 18:37
  I was going to say that it's that and also that a lot of conservatives don't go out and vote. I have looked into that data, David. We care about the presidential election and then leave it all up to president when the reality is that it comes down to other races as well. Local. Exactly. We forget the local level, yeah.
• 19:01
  Yeah, I mean, who is going to take charge of the community? It's us people. That's how we are built. We the people. So if we are not going to go out and...
• 19:12
  do that, then this is going to happen. This is doomed to happen. I mean, that's one thing when I received my citizenship was I could vote. That was one right that I did not have when I was not a citizen, which I became in 2022. So you never voted in Pakistan, right? I'd never voted in Pakistan, no. Okay. No. So is it, was that because you, do they allow women to vote? Do they allow Christians to vote in Pakistan?
• 19:41
  I believe that women are allowed to vote as long as they are courted by their husband or brother. So that's one big thing in Pakistan. You have to, when you are out of the house, you have to be courted by a man. You can't just, as a woman, go out. So that's, you know, one thing. Oh, you can't go out by yourself? No.
• 19:58
  Okay. No, you can't. So you have to be escorted by a male. It can be your four-year-old brother or three-year-old brother, and it's ridiculous to me. I mean, here, I just drove half an hour by myself to your office, David. It's a kind of freedom that I don't take for granted. I would never take it for granted, and I would never want Sharia law. That's why in the United States, because if that comes here, if these people get into the offices and take hold,
• 20:28
  I'm going to lose those, these freedoms that I got when I moved to the United States. I assimilated and my hope for everybody that comes here is to assimilate.
• 20:39
  You see it coming. You see it happening. Oh, yeah. And I know that's why you're very concerned about this. I think I put a note before we got on the podcast here how America seems to be less tolerant of the biblical worldview and contrast that with the spread of Islam and the increase of...
• 20:59
  Well, Muslims moving here, Muslims having more children than Christians, families, mosques going up in places like Texas and other, quote, conservative states. And you're probably going, this is a recipe for disaster.
• 21:14
  So before we get into when you ran for office a little bit, we'll talk a little bit more about that. Just share your concerns with the viewers and listeners out there who are Christian, conservative, and they're seeing a lot of the similar things you are. They just don't have the background that you come from. Go ahead, Myra.
• 21:32
  Yes. So right now we see it in some parts of the United States where people are now complaining about hearing prayers five times a day. Right. There's there's this place in Michigan that's already doing that. I grew up with that. So people, if you don't wake up, you're going to see that around the United States and you won't be able to do anything. But it's a.
• 21:55
  lifelong project for some people. You know, it's not going to happen overnight, and they understand it. So they are working towards getting the right people elected into the offices and teaming up with socialists and the people who believe that communism is the way. Well, they are being, these people are being used. Communism is, destroys, like, it's bad. It's really, it's evil.
• 22:22
  Isn't it fascinating? Agreed. The red-green accents, this red-green alliance, this communist and Islam. Yeah.
• 22:31
  And they're aligning for evil. It's really fascinating in a bad way, I guess, what's happening. We have five minutes left. Myra, I don't want to run out of time before we talk about God's plan and purpose for you. I think you're learning a little bit more and being redirected by the Holy Spirit because you only lost by 145 votes, you told me. Yeah, I think it was 145 to 150. So in between that number. So yes, close. I mean, that's amazing. That's a close race.
• 23:00
  Yes, it was closed. So what do you think, direction that he wants you to go? He's going to use you. Actually, you've got a story. You've got concerns. I believe you can wake up a lot of people because of your concerns. You're trying to sound the alarm, but I think if you were in political office, your hands would be tied a little bit. I should say maybe your mouth censored a little bit. You wouldn't be able to share really your true concerns, do you think?
• 23:27
  Yeah, I mean, political world can be different. I truly believe that I would still make my point because speaking the truth is what matters. And people that are in the office should do the same. Now, that's not how it goes always, but that's a totally different topic. We should always be willing to speak the truth. And in this world, you will have trouble. That's what Jesus said.
• 23:54
  So I am ready. I am prepared for that because I am going to speak the truth and I know I'm going to get some heat for it. We already have. Exactly. But I can't let that rape culture continue. You might have heard the news in London. And that was all by Muslim gangs. Yeah, Muslim gangs. Tell us. We only have a few minutes left. But for our viewers and listeners that maybe are not familiar with those stories of what's happening in the world,
• 24:22
  In London, briefly, just share that.
• 24:25
  Yeah, so there's a large number of women that were raped, and they pulled some record and found out that it was mostly by Muslim gangs. And I just can't sit here and let that happen and come to the United States because that's what we are welcoming right now. I love Muslim people. I just don't like the ideology that Islam brings. It's mostly political. It's mostly takeover. And if somebody doesn't agree with you—
• 24:54
  kill them that's absolutely wrong our first amendment freedom of speech and freedom of religion like that totally is like different from what islam teaches so i want to make people aware we can't have that rape culture and the honor killing very common and that is if your family member is bringing especially a woman bringing
• 25:18
  is bringing shame to the family, you can kill them. Things like that will be very common, people, if we don't do something about it, if we don't raise awareness. And we have to make sure that we are standing up with the truth, praying to the Lord every day, because we need...
• 25:34
  God, we need God. We need God. America needs God. And God bless America. This is a great nation. I just can't sit here. I think God brought me here for a purpose. Absolutely. And maybe it was not political office, but I'm very sure that right now, his purpose in my life or my purpose in this area is to serve him and make people aware. Yeah.
• 25:59
  Because people want me to come and speak about this. I have a lot of knowledge and lived experience. And I want to make sure that I do that.
• 26:07
  And we need to hear your voice is important. We need to hear believers, Christians, conservatives, or just average American citizens need to understand your perspective and what you are trying to warn us about before it's too late. So it's very important. I'm so glad to have you on. Myra will be around. Hopefully we'll have her back again sometime.
• 26:29
  And we just didn't want to use your last name because you took a lot of heavy attacks from the enemy, heat, criticism, whatever you want, however you want to describe that. So we want to make sure you're safe because this goes out everywhere. Praise God for the growing reach of our podcast. We're very thankful. All glory to Jesus. Yeah.
• 26:51
  Myra, thank you so much for coming in. You've got a very important story, and it needs to be told, needs to be heard. This will spread, and then you'll have more opportunities, hopefully, in our area, because the elections are coming up, midterms are coming up, and we really need to get more Christians and conservatives awakened, as you said, and engaged. Just your final 30 seconds, just to encourage the body of Christ, whatever you want to share in a couple seconds.
• 27:18
  Church, we need to wake up. We need to wake up and do something about it. And that can be as little as just talking to a friend. And when you talk to that friend, please make sure that they go out and vote and take another friend with them because it never is like an army. You have to just work on it little by little. We don't want this country to go to waste.
• 27:43
  Yep. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. Praise God. Good to have you come in. Guys, share this one. It's an important perspective. We need to get out there. God bless you. And as always, keep speaking the truth about things that matter. See you next time.