German UOJ branch shares story of a Muslim man’s journey to Christianity
A man from a Muslim background described how, through depression, drugs, and the search for meaning in life, he found his way to Orthodoxy.
The German branch of the Union of Orthodox Journalists published the testimony of a man from a Muslim background who found the Orthodox faith.
The author of the letter to the German UOJ editorial office was born in Germany to a Turkish–Kurdish Muslim family. He shared that, as a teenager, faced with misunderstanding and cruelty within his home, he began to hate Islam, associating it with relatives who had rejected him. He became fascinated with communism and atheism, later identifying as an agnostic. At the age of 15 or 16, he fell into drug addiction and criminal circles, sinking into a deep depression marked by suicidal thoughts.
In 2024, after the death of a close friend and relative with whom he had not reconciled, he began secretly to pray and search for God. He visited the Catholic Cologne Cathedral, a Protestant church, a mosque, and even a Hindu temple.
“In the cathedral, I felt something I cannot describe – joy, comfort, curiosity. It wasn’t the architecture or the singing, but something much deeper,” the author recalls.
Through social media, he learned about Orthodoxy and came to the ROC church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Cologne. During the service, he experienced the same feelings as in the cathedral – but much stronger.
“During the commemoration of the departed, I was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions: joy, sorrow, repentance, hope – and above all, love. I felt as though someone was embracing me, even though no one was there,” he says.
When his relatives learned of his decision to become Orthodox, many turned away from him. His mother’s family was particularly outraged: how could a descendant of a Turkish great-grandfather who fought against Greeks and Armenians accept “the faith of the enemy”? One relative told him that for the family, he “no longer exists.”
After an earnest prayer before a cross he had drawn on a wooden board, in which he confessed his sins and asked Christ for help, the nightmares that had tormented him since his friend’s death ceased.
“My depression disappeared completely. The suicidal thoughts left me. I began to look at the world with love – to love myself and even those who had turned away from me,” the author testifies.
He is now preparing for Baptism. Some family members have begun to show curiosity and cautious sympathy. He has become an example for others who wish to change their lives.
“I am not yet a perfect Christian – but every saint was once a sinner, and every saint was sanctified by our Lord,” the author concludes.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a hierarch of the Antiochian Church spoke about the growth of Orthodoxy in the United States.
