Salam - Being a revert feels really tough sometimes
Salam! Hope you’re doing okay. Sorry if this reads like a long vent, I just need to get some things off my chest. I live in Australia and honestly the environment here makes it hard. The media isn’t great towards Muslims or religion, and Muslims are a very small portion of the population where I am - so small that local stats barely even show us. That makes being a revert feel pretty scary. A few reasons why: 1. Trust is hard. People can seem nice at first, but once you open up you realise some are taking advantage of how new you are. They twist Quran verses and hadiths to push their own ideas on me. 2. I get judged a lot. I can’t read Arabic well so I use translations, and suddenly I’m accused of not trying hard enough. If I politely greet and compliment a sister, some jump to the worst conclusions. Share an opinion and someone threatens takfir. 3. The online haram police and self-appointed “imams” are exhausting. I appreciate people wanting to help, but I don’t need to be scolded every time I slip. I listen to some music because it calms my anxiety, not because I want to stray from the deen. 4. Making Muslim friends is really difficult. I’m a white revert from a western background; in a city of a couple million there are fewer than 500 Muslims my age. Trying to find a welcoming, relaxed community online has been hit-and-miss. I’m looking forward to finishing uni and hoping to move to a Muslim-majority country someday, subhanAllah. For now, trying to stay patient, keep learning, and find the small good people who actually care. Jazāk Allāhu khayran to anyone who listens.