Why do I feel so awkward around other Muslims? (revert)
As-salamu alaykum. I’m an American revert as of March 2025, and I keep feeling painfully awkward when I’m around other Muslims. I can be relaxed and natural with my non‑Muslim friends and family, but when I meet fellow Muslims I suddenly get shy and lose confidence - even with people I’d call close friends. A couple of concrete examples: 1) My neighbor is a married Muslim woman who lives below me. I saw her in the hallway and we both tried to say “Assalamu alaykum” at the same time, and then both said “Wa alaikum assalam” together. She just stared and I got really uncomfortable, so I blurted out “how are you?” She said “well” and I answered “Alhamdulillah” and left feeling like a weirdo and like an outsider. To be fair we don’t know each other well. Also I wondered if, since I’m a married man, I should avoid talking to her much at all to maintain proper boundaries? 2) I arrived at the masjid twenty minutes before adhan and there was no one else there. From what my teachers told me I should give the adhan rather than not do it if no one else is there, so I did. It felt beautiful and I even got chills. A few minutes later two men arrived and after a slightly awkward “Assalamu alaykum” exchange they asked if I had given the adhan. They ended up repeating it themselves. I’m not sure if they didn’t believe me, or thought I had done it incorrectly, or if there’s some rule I don’t know (I read something about iqamah rules but couldn’t find clarity). Also there was a big language barrier - they didn’t speak much English - so maybe that played a part. I just feel shy and lacking in confidence around other Muslims, which is strange because embracing Islam has been the best thing in my life. I really want sincere, strong, confident relationships with my brothers and sisters, but I don’t know why I freeze up like this. Any advice or similar experiences would help - jazakum Allah khair.