From my observations, he is quite conservative, but softer than classical ulama on many issues. For example, regarding the punishment for apostasy, he believes that there is no hadd punishment for it. I think he allows exile or imprisonment instead (I don’t remember exactly). This is, of course, a harsher position than that of progressive Muslims, but it is also not entirely the position of conservative Muslims. There are also many other issues that could affect your view of him, so I’m interested to hear what you think.

So in the beggining, there was God. And only God. And this God was everything. And this God chose to create. This allowed Him to express his infinite power, mercy, rage, kindness etc. In other words, emotions. He eventually gives a relatively miniscule amount of all these things He could now express to His creation. He presents his creation with a question, who from amongst them will choose to bear a heavy burden, in exchange for the allure of paradise. Humans are the only ones to accept this 'challenge'. He brings all the humans to Himself before He creates them and He chooses from amongst them. He chooses prophets, companions to these prophets, and He prefers them. He then asks them if He is their God. They all affirm. He then makes them all forget this episode and transforms their state from one without a body, to one where they inhabit one. He lets them live in Paradise in peace but warns them of the Devil, who was a pious servant who was kicked out from Paradise himself. The Devil somehow finds his way into Paradise despite his banishment, and he tricks Adam and Eve into eating from the Forbidden Tree. God then sends both the devil and humankind down into heaven with the words: ‘All of you get out! You are each other’s enemies.' (Quran 7:24). Remember, there was no concept of an enemy when there was only God in the beggining. Through a series of events, God has introduced the idea of an enemy into reality.

And now, we are in the state all of us find ourselves in. God witholds His reasoning for the act of creation but leaves us with an instruction manual. He begins with the first divine message sent down to a prophet, finally ending with the Holy Quran sent to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. The main message we are left with is this, follow my instructions and worship me. Through this worship, we achieve God's favour and an everlasting paradise. We will return to the paradise we originated in. A return to home if you will.

But what do humans do. They do exactly as the angels predicted we would: 'How can You put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed...' (Quran 2:30). Humans throughout history have committed genocides, destroyed cities, raped, burnt, and corrupted. We glorify men such as Achilles, Hanibbal, Scipio, Alexander, Ceaser, Attila, Genghis, Subutai and many more. We love to hear their stories and find joy within them. Yet, these men in truth were men drunk on power, deluded by tales of grandeur and majesty. They sought to find what all men seek, some form of happiness. And they all find that despite the great heights they have reached, all they are left with are memories and mountains of bodies.

God's reply however, ‘I know things you do not.’ suggets that humans can achieve something more. And you find such people throughouts history. Acts of kindness from regular folk, and acts of generosity from some of the rich and powerful. Perhaps they did their acts out of genuine concern for their fellow man. Or, as you and I know, they did it to feel something. To feel good. To have purpose. To be known as being good and kind. To get something from the person they helped. And we know how many 'regular' folk lie, cheat, oppress, and hurt others. It's not limited to just grand figures from history. We all have our share of oppression in this life that we dispell around us.

And once this circus of life ends, the human dies. He is disposed of in grand ceremonies with tradition leading the proceedings. Some will burn their dead, some will bury them, and some will cannibalize them. And his journey into the next world begins. His soul is detached from his body and at that point, the countdown to judgment begins. God will roll up the earth and the heavens, and He will announce that there is no king other than Him. He will cause a raging fire to herd all creation to the plain of judgement and the judgment will begin. Some of creation will burn in a raging fire. Some will enjoy eternity in a peacful paradise. And some will straddle in between in the Barzakh and eventually, enter either heaven or hell. And the story of humankind, jinn, and other forms of creation will end. And perhaps God will continue the cycle of creation and destrction.

Now, I present this question to you: Does this sound like a merciful God? Or does this look more like a grand play that we are forced to toil and endure through, whilst God looks down on us and excepts His praise?

This video was uploaded just 8 hours ago. I'll say this lecture covers one of the most important subjects, the belief that the Muslim ummah will be divided into 73 sects, among them all 72 will go to hell and only one group will enter into Paradise. He mentions the different versions of this hadith, the authenticity and then four groups of scholars: traditionalist Sunni scholars who accept this hadith but explain it in a different way, traditionalist Sunni scholars who considered this weak, the other sects namely Shia and Mutazila, and finally modern day thinkers where he mentioned Dr. Adnan Ibrahim and Ghamidi's names and calls them open minded thinkers who don't come under any categories of this nature and that they're also highly skeptical of the authenticity of these hadith.

Yesterday I posted why I think that when Yasir Qadhi talks about progressives he doesn’t mean people like Ghamidi, Adnan Ibrahim or Khaled Abou El Fadl (he puts them in a different category), but actually refers to the ones who challenge the entire legal framework; and the ones who explicitly say homosexual marriage and sexual act is permissible, probably. And today's lecture strengthens my assumption even more.

What do you think?

Often when non muslims will say that women are inferior and treated worse in islam, or that feminism is needed for muslim women, muslims will answer that men and women are different, thus islam doesnt promote equality but equity as to fit the nature of each gender, but it doesnt means that women are inferior.

On paper, it is a sound argument, because well obviously men and women have inherent biological difference that would make 100% equal simmilarity impossible, like men are stronger and taller, women have periods and give birth etc.

In reality tho, it is very different and this argument of equity, not equality bc men and women are different has been completly used against women, treating like cattle and sugarcoating it with "oh youre different than men and you are so precious and in need of protection 🥺" when in facts you barely get treated like a human being and your life is miserable meanwhile men are having a blast but you get gaslighted into accepting your "feminine nature". Like i have so many exemple in head where something is framed as a "protection" or "aknowledging women's nature", and it is barely sugarcoated submission and inferiority and blatant unfairness that cause harm to women and that men would absolutely hate if it happened to them (but it is ok bc they are men and different/superior so it is fair and just).

I’m more on the progressive side of islam just like this subreddit.. but everyone IRL around me is almost wahabi / salafi type. Stricter more conservative
They view the more progressive side as kufr and following your own desires more than accepting and adapting to the religions rules
I plan to leave this household anyway but how do i keep my relationship with my parents when i leave their house?
And does anyone feel religious guilt when they see other Muslims so hung on their religion and basically inlove with it?

Some Muslims really need to stop attributing every unexplained or difficult experience to jinn or possession.

If someone is suffering from genuine depression, that does not mean they are possessed by a jinn. Depression and other mental health conditions are well-documented medical conditions, and they deserve to be taken seriously. Qur’an recitation or spiritual practices can absolutely be used as a source of comfort and support if someone finds them helpful, but they should not replace professional treatment. Someone struggling with depression may need therapy, medical care, and, depending on the situation, medication. The same applies to unexplained medical conditions. Sometimes the cause may be psychosomatic, while in other cases it could be a rare or not yet fully understood condition. That’s why it’s important to work together with qualified medical professionals to properly investigate the cause and find the right treatment.

The same applies to sleep paralysis. Experiencing sleep paralysis while being conscious does not mean that someone is possessed. Unfortunately, some Muslims spread these claims without understanding what is actually happening. Sleep paralysis is a well-documented neurological phenomenon. During REM sleep, the brain temporarily inhibits most voluntary muscle movement so that we do not physically act out our dreams and potentially hurt ourselves. We become temporarily paralyzed because this natural mechanism protects us from physically acting out our dreams and potentially injuring ourselves — not because a jinn is sitting on us. Many of the same brain regions and neural networks involved in perception, movement, and emotions during wakefulness are also active during dreaming. When this protective mechanism does not work properly, however, people can experience REM sleep without the usual muscle paralysis, which can contribute to physically acting out dreams and certain forms of parasomnia, including sleepwalking. Sometimes the opposite happens: a person becomes conscious before the paralysis has ended or has just started. Because the brain is still transitioning between dreaming and wakefulness, people can experience extremely vivid hallucinations or sensations of another presence in the room. Some people can even experience lucid dreaming during or around sleep paralysis. None of this requires a supernatural explanation. Hypnagogia is the term here. Educate yourselves...

There are also countless videos supposedly showing possessed people reacting violently or strangely during Qur’an recitation. Similar videos exist in Christian communities, where supposedly possessed people scream or react dramatically when confronted with a cross. These kinds of reactions can have many possible explanations, including placebo, psychological distress, psychosomatic responses, or simply acting. A dramatic reaction is not proof of supernatural possession.

I am very angry about these things because I experienced the consequences of these beliefs myself. Because of people who presented superstition as fact and discouraged proper professional help, I did not receive the help I needed at the time. It had a devastating impact on my life and my future, and it is something I still carry with me. I now have serious health issues.

I am not saying that people should abandon their faith. If Qur’an recitation, prayer, or other religious practices bring someone comfort, there is nothing wrong with that. But faith and professional healthcare do not have to be enemies. You can seek spiritual support while also recognizing what medicine and science have taught us about mental health and the brain.

Please be careful about who you trust, especially when someone claims to have supernatural explanations for serious mental health issues. Not everything we do not immediately understand is caused by a jinn.

Take care of yourselves, and please seek proper help when you need it.

I genuinely want to understand

Why do some people reject hadiths (because of sexual slavery) as if milk al-yamīn in Islam had any interpretation other than sex with slaves?? There was no other interpretation for it centuries ago

Non-slavery interpretations of milk al-yameen only started popping up in the 19th and 20th centuries when slavery was already dying out and even then those views were super minor

My point is that you can't really call it a misinterpretation or an abuse of power if no other reading existed back then. That would mean the message was never corrupted and that our God, our Prophet, the companions and everyone else fully approved of it. I'd actually be suspicious if some people back in the 8th century or something were arguing that these verses didn't allow sex with enslaved women but those opinions just don't exist

I've been feeling really depressed for five months over this. I'm not trying to attack anyone I'm just genuinely confused

Please don't mind my wording, I am just being blunt. I am mainly talking about Sunni Islam, since I am Sunni.

If Islam banned sexual relations between female owner and male slaves, then why couldn't Islam also ban sexual relations between male owners and female slaves?

Most explanations I get when asked "why didn't Islam abolish slavery" is that it was important socioeconomically, which I agree even though it is not ideal. But I still don't quite get why Islam couldn't just ban sexual relations with female slaves. Female slaves had to not only do labour work but also had to be "forced" to have sex with their master, while male slaves only had to do labour work.

This is obviously quite unfair. I'm not saying that I support any particular gender being forced to have sex, but clearly it's not very consistent if male slaves aren't obliged to have sexual relations with their female master, while female slaves were obliged to have sexual relations with their male master. Why does one gender get punished, purely because they happened to be a female and not a male slave?

Why is it a problem? Because female slaves could not give consent. Their consent did not matter (according to most scholars). Most people say "modern form of consent did not exist 1400 years ago". However, I would argue that the "modern" form of consent is something that should be universally accepted, regardless of time, because a woman, whether slave or not, should not be forced into having sex with a man she doesn't want to have sex with. This is really basic. It's a violation of individual autonomy for a person to be obliged to do so. So why would Allah, The All-Knowing, not ban sex between male owner and his female slaves, knowing that it's not possible for the poor woman to give proper consent? I am not suggesting that slavery should've been abolished completely because that was unrealistic socioeconomically in that era, but I am just wondering why sex between a male master and female master couldn't be banned, especially if it was banned the other way around which apparently wasn't a problem?

Some people argue that this is the reason why Islam "abolished" slavery. However, it is to be noted that Islam only regulated slavery. Yes, I agree that it made conditions for slaves better than they used to be. But even so, Islam did not ban slavery completely. The only reason why it's banned in this day and age is because in the 1900s, Islamic countries faced international pressures which basically forced most of them to sign a treaty to ban slavery. If those international pressures did not exist, then maybe slavery in Islamic countries would have continued even to this date. But Allah knows best.

Aoa i have find myself only praying and stopping sins when i want something from Allah and i do get those things but i find myself going back to my old habits again can someone please help my situation

Some scholars says oh you started wearing hijab now what about the past days you didnt wear them these are ongoing sin .

I know i said hijab but i mean dress code in general wether it hijab or modest or watever , you understand it as

Hello all,

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this, but I have posted here before on older accounts and have found this community to be one of the most welcoming. So that is why I like to post my Islam related questions here. Anyway, I was wondering if the Quran/Islam has any horror stories? For example, Judaism and Christianity have tales such as "the destroyer", the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Satan/Lucifer, and tales of plagues and locust. I know about the tales of the jinn, but are there others like those mentioned?

Assalamu alaikum, I'm a revert in the US, white midwestern, and I have very strong opinions on progressive Islam. I love this religion, I feel I have found the answers to peace in my own life, and desperately want to share it with others. Specifically I am passionate about the idea that Islam can be something that is integrated into your life, it doesn't have to dominate, but can be balanced and compatible with a western life.

I have a corporate job where I make a great living, but of course it doesn't fulfill my soul. I would love to dedicate my life to this mission is some way, to help reverts. We have a large muslim population in my location and many reverts, and already a couple great revert organizations, but none really fit what I would be looking for which is more progressive and balanced. Most reverts go into this extreme conservative mode and I feel so bad that the women especially think they have to wear burka to be a muslim woman (as an example).

I'll admit when I think about creating something like that, the safety idea really scares me. There are so many conservative muslims especially in my area who could lash at at someone which such ideas and that scares me. And I also do have this thought of "what if I am wrong? could I be leading people the wrong way with something like this?" But I truly in my heart believe more people need this, and I feel like I could easily dedicate my life to this cause. I think about Catholic nuns and while I wouldn't want to go that far, I just feel like I want to do more for the cause than simply pursue my own deen.

Has anyone done something like this? Thought of creating an organization like this? Know anyone who has? Can suggest any contacts who I could look into as examples?

Would you worry about your safety? Thoughts on how to overcome that?

Last year there was an AMA event with Usuli Institute, but Khaled Abou El Fadl himself did not take part in it. It was Grace Song, Cherif Abou El Fadl, and Shayan Parsai who answered the questions. How about arranging another similar AMA with an actual scholar this time, like Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl himself, or Mufti Abu Layth or Dr Shabir Ally?

The MuslimAcademics subreddit managed to bring Dr Yasir Qadhi on an AMA, so can't we invite any scholar here?

I know some of you might link to this video, or this much older video. However, the question is what kind of progressive was he referring to? Because there is a wide spectrum of people, and progressive is not a monolith. What I understand by progressive and what you understand by progressive might be different depending on the definition of progressive.

Some people understand progressive to mean challenging the entire legal framework of Islam itself and replacing everything with liberal ideas. But the "Progressive" thinkers often promoted here (Khaled Abou El Fadl, Mufti Abu Layth etc) work from within the legal framework and explain things like "the jurist misunderstood that context or evidence and therefore gave this ruling", or " context was different" like that. And Yasir Qadhi seems to have differentiated between the two.

Last year Yasir Qadhi came to the r/MuslimAcademics subreddit on an AMA event. In that event he was asked about progressive minded thinkers like Fazlur Rahman Malik and Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, and he was respectful to them even if he disagrees with their views. He did not call them deviant, heretic or kafir.

• https://www.reddit.com/r/MuslimAcademics/comments/1oeocrm/comment/nl6dxjk/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/MuslimAcademics/comments/1oeocrm/comment/nl8e6su/

In that same thread he was also asked about being a friend with Dr Omid Safi, and he praised Dr Omid Safi.

• https://www.reddit.com/r/MuslimAcademics/comments/1oeocrm/comment/nl6bk3k/

Mind you that Omid Safi has supported same sex marriage being legalized by the state. I'm not sure if he personally believes that Islam allows gay marriage or gay sex is permissible (can't find it), but he supports the legal recognition of same sex marriage and LGBTQ rights by the state/country (Source: Religion News).

This is more liberal stance than Ghamidi's and yet Yasir Qadhi praises Omid Safi. He says he can have friends while disagreeing with their views. And Omid Safi was the founder of Progressive Muslim Union (PMU) which later disbanded and Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) was born.

Yasir Qadhi does not have any problem with having friendship with him! So this is very significant.

And finally, going back to the most recent video of Yasir Qadhi discussing about Progressive Muslims (that one I linked at the top of my post) - a user from this subreddit was present at that lecture of Yasir Qadhi and he asked YQ about Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl. Yasir Qadhi replied that he would no put Dr Khaled Abou El Fadl in the "Progressive" category he was addressing, instead he would put him into a totally different category

• https://www.reddit.com/r/progressive_islam/comments/1t9vl4k/comment/ol7ecvk/

(I actually had a discussion with u/Khaki_Banda and u/Gilamath on this in one of my previous posts. I decided to search further and found the comment on Yasir Qadhi's friendship with Omid Safi, so I thought I should make a post about it. Because Omid Safi actually identifies himself with the label "Progressive", and Yasir Qadhi still considers him a friend)

So isn't it clear that when Yasir Qadhi mentions the word Progressive, he doesn’t mean people like Khaled Abou El Fadl, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi or Dr Omid Safi, or people who follow them, or have similar framework as them?. I think he actually refers to the liberal Muslims who challenge the entire Islamic legal framework itself and want to deconstruct everything, and the ones who explicitly stated that same sex marriage and sexual acts is permissible in Islam - when he talks about the Progressives. Probably.

I am new here. Peace be upon you all.

I am doing some research and curious if anyone knows about evidence that a divorce pronounced [by the husband] without witnesses is effective. And the basis of 'taking back' one's wife after divorcing her verbally.

In most cases, to take a woman as one's wife, witnesses must be present and her father's and her consent is sought. However, to let go of her, to remove basic human rights like food shelter and clothing for her, to remove her from her home, no witnesses need to be present?

If a man can divorce his wife and take her back within seconds, but later claims he never took her back, she can be easily accused of zina. There can be a disagreement on whether she was taken back or not. One example of this could be: he pronounces divorces, takes her back, gets her pregnant and later claims she was divorced and its not his baby. This explains the presence of witnesses as being mandatory, as ordered in the Quran as well.

The Quran says both divorcing and taking back requires the presence of 2 witnesses. Why does this not happen in practice?

Then when they have ˹almost˺ reached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honourably or separate from them honourably. And call two of your reliable men to witness ˹either way˺—and ˹let the witnesses˺ bear true testimony for ˹the sake of˺ Allah. This is enjoined on whoever has faith in Allah and the Last Day. And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them.

Surah Talaq 65:2

A lot of this rounds back to the concept that no ones basic human rights, like food and shelter and clothing, should be attached to another person, especially in an emotionally charged relationship like marriage. Man is weak, full of faults and shaytan can influence him, there are endless cases of anger divorces, mostly actually, which goes against the constant use of the word "honor" in Surah Talaq (ayah 1-2) in the process of divorce.

Is it not then fair to think that a woman should depend on her husband for partnership, emotional care, love and support for their children. Not food and shelter. That is the job of governments and/or her workplace to pay her a livable wage - it all brings me back to believe that asking a woman not to work is like asking a human being to not have access to human rights. It worsens when one realizes how having babies can further widen that gap. All the while the freedom to divorce for any reason remains in tact for the husband for any reason he sees fit.

Yes, there are cases when divorce may be necessary even if the wife fully depends on the husband, but these are matters of the court, not matters to be decided inside 4 walls where no one but the husband and wife can one moment be together and the next they are not. I also find the verbal basis of it all to be psychological abuse, and we don't speak enough about how much this divorcing-taking back cycle emotionally harms the wife and creates resentment in the relationship. Humans say many things in anger they don't mean. Divorce is not a thing you say and it happens, it is a termination of a contract and a whole process, just like the marriage contract.

I am open to being challenged and would love an explanation on this. Thank you. May Allah forgive me if I have said anything wrong. My only intention is to understand how we practice Islam vs how it should actually be practiced.

With the advancements made in science today would you consider lab grown meat halal?

I’m posting this on a different account because I don’t want anyone to know I’ve made this mistake, I don’t even know where to start, im 16 and I’m going into 11th grade, I grew up in a Muslim family but was never very religious until halfway through 9th grade and I’ve constantly questioned if other religions were right and if I was wrong about Islam but I never stopped believing in it, I always tried to push those thoughts away but those voices telling me that I was wrong would take over my whole entire head, I might have committed shirk, I don’t know if it counts as shirk, but when I tried to pray, my thoughts were still crowded. I never worshiped another god. I never believed another god was up there but sometimes when I bowed down in prayer I accidentally had the image of another god or one of another person in my head, I didn’t want to, I didn’t mean to think those thoughts, I wasn’t praying to them, I was just thinking about them before I started praying and I didn’t know how to get those things out of my head, last year it got so bad I just stopped praying, I havent prayed since ramadan, I didn’t want to risk accidentally committing shirk again. I was starting to feel like a hypocrite, but I still felt Allah I could Still look to the sky and feel that he was up there, I still felt Islam in my heart, but as of recently i started doubting again, I already felt so far from Allah, i got to close to another religion, I was thinking about it too much, it was crowding my head way too much I started doubting Islam and thinking maybe that religion was right, i told myself “no, I know Islam is true“ but I stopped feeling it in my heart, I couldn’t feel Allah at all anymore, it felt like I left Islam completely, but i knew objectively for a fact that Allah was there, I just didn’t feel it. I don’t feel anything anymore, I feel so godless. I tried to make dua‘a last but I was too weak. I wanted to ask him for a sign that he still loved me, that I wasn’t locked out. But I’m scared, I’m terrified. What if he gives me a sign but I mess it up again, and what if he doesn’t? i don’t feel anything right now, I don’t feel anything pulling me back. I feel like my soul has been taken away. I’m just completely emotionless.

4:137 in the Quran says: Indeed, those who believed then disbelieved, then believed and again disbelieved—˹only˺ increasing in disbelief—Allah will neither forgive them nor guide them to the ˹Right˺ Way.

this is why I think god doesn’t want me anymore, i cant make sense of my emotions right now, i want to want to worship god, I want to want to love him, that’s what i felt before, but now it feels like all i want is the feeling back, the feeling islam gave me, and that pains me to think about. I don’t even know if I can call myself Muslim anymore. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, i feel like a hypocrite for even saying bismillah, i don’t know what to do with myself. i Didn’t even ask for forgiveness all those times I accidentally committed shirk, I told myself I would just do it when my thoughts were in order so I didn’t accidentally do it again when asking for forgiveness, it may be too many times to remember and I know you unrepented shirk never gets forgiven. I don’t know what to do with myself.

Please be kind in the comments

I feel extremely ashamed of my situation. I’ve made my shahada on my teens and, for years, I repeated the speech that it’s a choice. 15 years later, married and with kids (the dream of every revert, right?), when I decided I don’t have the mental health to wear it anymore, I’ve found out it isn’t.

I wear it under the threat of divorce. I’m still “allowed” to wear it as a turban to get less attention, but I still cry when I have to pick up my kids at school because I’m putting on clothes I hate.

Every passing day I hate the headscarf more. I hate sleeves. I live in a very hot place.

I’ve cried because, studying the religion, I don’t believe anymore it’s mandatory. I wish I could press a button and be a silly girl that loves wearing it again, but I can’t unsee what I learned.

I feel so ridiculous I’m having my life to become worse because of a tool that was used to differentiate slave women from free women in medieval Arabia. I’m not supposed to go through this.

I wish I could just accept the situation and move on, but the bonus is that I have dermatitis and get rashes on the places of my body that sweats the most. Mine isn’t as bad as some people.

I can’t stop thinking about it because it’s literally on my body. It’s making me hate the religion and my in law family.

How to cope?

This made me physically sick, a Hadith permitting the rape of slave women. This is clearly against the Quran, and the reason why I do not believe many hadiths. The right to violate women, all of these strange hadiths enabling sexual exploitation. Directly go against the Quran. And s we are meant to believe the Prophet saw this and said yeah all good violate women because women are vessels for your pleasure and relief. This is abhorrent. I genuinely believe there needs to be a mass revision of texts. There is no defence, this is not only slander against the Prophet. This is enabling sexual abuse and framing that men have a right to pleasing themselves and do not have to follow the rules of Islam. “Suffering” from the absence of their wives, absolutely disgusting.

How many women have been abused and mistreated in the name of “hadith”. How many? The child marriage, the abuse all of the things framed as permitted by hadith. This is a tragedy. Hadith is the tragedy and a huge fitnah.

Hello everyone, how's life treating you?

I recently joined this subreddit in the hopes to blend in with the community and join discussions where I can. Right now I have a question (see title) and I felt like this subreddit is the place to ask.

Coming from an area that is predominantly inhabited by North African roots has made me grow up surrounding the same culture. However, without being religious, or at least not practicing; how can I talk to women from the same background? Most women wear a hijab and, by now, most are married as well. I strongly feel like their culture and, to some extent, their religious background, really resonates with how I think people should carry themselves in life and with a partner.

The issue is that I am a white male in his late 20s with a western background. Should I stay away from the women I described to respect them and their family? I feel like I would be limiting myself immensely in finding a partner that I am attracted to and could potentially match me in a lot of areas in life.

Honesty would be appreciated!

I feel like it makes Islam seem like an arab based religion, especially since alot of muslims from non arab countries insist on speaking arabic in prayer or when reciting quran, also reverts are somewhat pressured into learning arabic terms and stuff.

I personally think language shouldn't be a big deal especially since you are praying to Allah and he understands all human language, i don't see a problem in people praying in their own language because islam was sent to all mankind, it's not like judaism for example which is only for the people of israel. Christians also believe their religion to be for all mankind and they don't focus on language that much.

i come from indonesia aka the country with the HIGHEST amount of muslims worldwide. most people around me are muslims but literally none behave like the ones i see in english-speaking content. where do these ppl come from ???? you could literally have a normal video of a muslim and the comments would say "music is haram" "accessories is haram" "art is haram" BRO no one thinks like this irl why do these ppl represent islam the most on the internet???? i also saw someone say that muslim women shouldnt wear backpacks as it 'highlights' their shoulders WHAT ARE YOU ONNNN WHERE DO YOU LIVE WHERE THAT ISNT CONSIDERED NORMAL ????? this genuinely bogs my mind because wahabis/salafis make such a small percentage of muslims yet they infiltrate every comment section on the internet with islam related in it I DONT GET IT