Is it fair to ask your spouse to embrace Islam for you?
Assalamu alaykum. I’m a Buddhist sister married to a Muslim brother. Lately, a big question came up: Would I accept Islam? I was raised Buddhist but don’t practice much, so marrying a Muslim wasn’t an issue for me personally. My family worried, though-they see Islam as strict, know men can have up to four wives, and have some historical concerns. Still, I was ready to defend him, hoping they’d judge his character, not his faith. Early on, he said his family was fine with him marrying outside Islam. But now he claims if he marries a non-Muslim, his family might harm him or themselves. I truly tried to learn about his deen-learned some Arabic, read the Quran in English, even considered fasting to support him. But learning and reverting are worlds apart. Right now, I can’t say I’d convert. Maybe later, but not now. Islam differs greatly from Buddhism, and the hijab expectation worries me. He believes Muslim women should cover, yet he often wears shorts above the knees and posts fitness content showing his lower belly-even though men’s awrah is navel to knees. He also once took my evil eye bracelet, wore it until his cousin said it was shirk, and it was gold-like (haram for men). There are other things, but I’ll keep them private. How can he ask me to fully commit to Islam when he doesn’t seem consistent? If I must make such a life-changing choice, shouldn’t we both be held to the same standard? I’m not criticizing Islam-just asking if my concerns are valid and if it’s fair to expect this of me. Please correct me if I’ve misunderstood anything.