I used to be Muslim -AMA

[Tiddlywinx]

Born and raised Anglican, became Muslim in my early 20s after much research and having really enjoyed the academic side of Islam, now 10 years on, I’m ‘meh’, I wouldn’t say I’ve renounced it in a mic drop sense but I do feel apathetic.

I know this (leaving Islam) has garnered headlines in the news and it’s not that kind of post, I’m actually secretly hoping it might help me organise my thoughts, so AMA- I won’t hold back.

just to say, my experiences are just that, mine, and any negative ones I’ve had obviously aren’t universal and they don’t represent an entire religion/ minority community/
sect/ ethnic group.

also, please no takfiri death threats/ going to hell stuff, it will push me further from the deen and further some rather nasty stereotypes

[Haffdonga]

What has made you feel apathetic now? What has changed?

[ThermoSpooklear]

Do you still believe in a God and, if not, would you still like to?

[Tiddlywinx]

@bathorshower

What, if any, religion would you consider yourself now?

Let’s put it this way, if I was applying for a job and they have the what religion are you box, I’d tick the ‘prefer not to say’ one… I honestly don’t know

[Tiddlywinx]

@Buttons294749

Do you still feel religous generally or do you feel agnostic generally?

I think I feel apathetic general, maybe more of a deist than a theist now, but I guess on some days I could feel truly agnostic. It’s bad I know

[MolkosTeenageAngst]

I find it very difficult to understand why anybody would convert to another religion. I suppose in my mind all religions seem illogical in that there are so many major and minor religions, plus many denominations of most religions, how could you possibly trust that you have chosen to believe the true one? It sort of makes sense when somebody has been raised in a religion for them to continue to follow it as I guess we don’t always critically question things we’ve believed as true from childhood but to convert to a new religion seems unfathomable to me. And you say you have always been interested in the ‘academic’ side of religion, but isn’t religion about a spiritual belief rather than academia?

So I suppose my question is, why did you want to convert? How did you come to believe that the Christian interpretation of God and Jesus etc was not true and then realise that the Islamic one was right to the point of conversion? Did you also consider whether you believed other religions (Judaism? Hinduism? Buddhism?) or did something just draw you towards Islam? And on conversion did you genuinely and truly believe in all aspects of Islam and it’s scripture and believe them to be true? What aspects don’t you believe in now?

[bathorshower]

What, if any, religion would you consider yourself now?

[Tiddlywinx]

@DesMoulinsRouge

What made you convert in the first place?
How old were you?

Early 20s, ive covered the why in the answer above :)

[Tiddlywinx]

@StrictlyAFemaleFemale

What did you find in Islam that you didn't in Christianity? Could you explain a bit more about the academics?

basically there are a few really good debaters, who debate apologetics (basically religious issues, or big questions) and I just love love loved watching the debates, it inspired me to do my own reading and then I used to go to the live debates and I found that there is or at least was, this movement of Muslim feminists, a lot converts and I just enjoyed it so much. But that looking back was position of substantial privilege.

islam, at its core is a lot more linear (not sure that’s the right word) than Christianity, more straight forward. There’s one god and prophets, that’s it, you did and there is heaven and hell. No priests, no confession, no central position of authority. I liked that

[Tiddlywinx]

@BattenburgDonkey

Did you marry into Islam?

marry into Islam? That’s not a thing

do you mean convert because I met a Muslim man? If so, no.

did I marry a Muslim man after becoming Muslim? Yes. 5 years after.

muslim men can marry Jewish and Christian women so even if I’d met a Muslim man as a Christian there’d have been no impetus on my to convert

[Buttons294749]

Do you still feel religous generally or do you feel agnostic generally?

[DesMoulinsRouge]

What made you convert in the first place?
How old were you?

[StrictlyAFemaleFemale]

What did you find in Islam that you didn't in Christianity? Could you explain a bit more about the academics?

[BattenburgDonkey]

Did you marry into Islam?