I’m Alevi but drawn to Sunni Islam, and I’m afraid of losing my roots
Assalamu alaikum. I’m not sure where to begin, honestly. I grew up in an Alevi family, and it’s been my whole world-my family, the traditions, the beautiful music, the stories passed down, all of it feels like home to me. Lately, though, I’ve been feeling a strong pull toward Sunni Islam, and it’s messing with my head more than I thought it would. Things like reading the Qur’an, learning proper salah, and just understanding Sunni teachings better really speak to my heart. Sometimes I think I want to fully practice Sunni Islam. But then I get this knot in my stomach, like, what about where I come from? When I hear Alevi music, it hits me so hard I tear up, even if I don’t catch every word. It takes me back to my grandparents, my childhood, that feeling of being rooted. I’m scared that leaving Alevism behind means losing all that, like I’m walking away from my family’s legacy and those songs that mean everything to me. I don’t want to one day feel like a stranger to my own culture. Yet I also don’t want to cling to Alevism just out of fear. If Sunni Islam is truly the path for me, I need to be sincere with myself and with Allah. That’s the hard part-I feel torn between faith that’s calling me and a heritage that’s part of my soul. I don’t even know if I have to figure it out right now. Maybe I’m rushing myself. Has anyone here-Alevi, Sunni, or someone who wrestled with their religious or cultural identity-been through this? How did you handle it? Can I dive into Sunni Islam without feeling like I’m betraying my Alevi family and roots? And if I do embrace Sunni Islam, does it mean I have to cut off the music, the history, the whole emotional tie to my upbringing? I don’t want to hate one side to love the other. Right now, I just want clarity on what I believe and where I truly belong.