Ive always been open about being muslim to others, but as of lately i feel ashamed. i feel ashamed of the disgusting representation we have. muslim men going online and spreading false and radical info about islam and making us seem crazy. the way most muslim countries treat women/other minorities irl and online. and seeing non-muslims view us as some “brainwashed” idiots, its all heartbreaking.
And I feel like ultra religious muslims take the religion and twist it to fit their nasty narrative. most of these radical muslim men on these podcasts dont even preach about actual stuff from the quran, they just spew hate and false rules for women they pulled out their ass. no wonder non muslims have some kind of warped ideas of muslims when this is what they see!! (im not defending actual islamophobia, i just understand why ppl would be critical of islam when this is what they see).
On top of that, ive seen a lot of ppl say that if you believe in islam then ur stupid and brainwashed and need to “wake up”. idk if its because i have ocd so i overthink a LOT, but i really do take things like that to heart. i dont consider myself to be brainwashed at all, but hearing people say things of that nature and generalize all muslims hurts me.
i just wish better for this community. And i wont lie, the community pushed me away from islam a lot. i wasnt a very religious person to begin with, and now i feel even more detached. I wish the muslim community was more understanding, accepting and empathetic to people with different backgrounds, esp women.