Assalamu alaykum - Struggling with how some Muslims have treated me since I embraced Islam
Assalamu alaykum. I found Islam at 21 and I'm 25 now. Over the last few years I've been learning the basics of the deen and trying to shape my character accordingly. I've read the Qur'an twice, listened to lectures from reasonable speakers, and tried to practice and reflect on the faith. I had a hopeful view of the Muslim community for a while, but after meeting more people born into the faith, I've been pretty put off. It’s reached a point where someone just saying “I’m Muslim” doesn’t carry the same weight to me anymore. In the past year, many of the Muslims I met have basically told me I’ll never be as knowledgeable or as “real” a Muslim as those born into it because I discovered Islam later. If I disagree or ask questions, I’m told I can’t understand and then dismissed. I’ve encountered rude comments, backbiting, and a lot of sectarian attitude between groups like Sunni and Shia. One woman even told me her family would never accept me as a husband because I’m not Middle Eastern and my family isn’t Muslim. I try not to judge, but some of the people saying these things act in ways the deen actually discourages. For example, I had a dog since I was eight and recently lost him; when I told a Muslim friend, she replied coldly that dogs are haram so it’s no big deal. That hurt. When I took my shahada an imam gave me his number and promised to follow up, but I never heard from him again. Other imams he linked me to barely responded beyond a polite greeting and didn’t help me get connected to a local masjid. The few masajid I visited on my own - one very well-off with a large community - left me feeling out of place. I know I come across serious and intimidating, but nobody welcomed me or reached out. I also look very Middle Eastern though I’m not, so I thought I might fit in more. I’m partly ethnically Jewish (not politically Zionist) and have a recognizably Jewish surname. One woman told me it would be “a bloodbath” if her father knew she was talking to me and suggested I change or hide my name from other Muslims. Another seemingly religious woman I considered marriage with asked for intimate pictures to “confirm” I could satisfy her in marriage, which felt wrong and disrespectful. All this has left me quietly bitter. I no longer feel the same sense of brotherhood with the Ummah and I’m less inclined to seek out Muslim spaces or friendships. These negative experiences keep recurring across different places and types of people, and a fair amount happened through online interactions too. Maybe others go through this often and I just noticed it more, but it’s been painful and confusing. I’d appreciate any advice or perspectives on dealing with these kinds of experiences and how to rebuild trust in the community while staying true to my faith.