Western Reverts
Reply #30 - December 21, 2015, 08:35 AM
I'll be honest with you when you mentioned that you saw muslims in white robes, you gave me memories of how I was united with other Muslim men wearing the robes (thaubs)..
We'd get coffee together, walk around together, etc..
But in all honesty, you can do that with any social group. You join a martial arts academy, and you can get that same feeling.
They're also not as united as you think. They disagree with a lot of issues among each other.. Appearances can be deceiving as well.
The only thing I would say that's unique about the brotherhood in Islam, is that you do feel a bit more distinct from the rest of the world. If you're a literalist Salafi or part of a Sufi order, you feel sort of like a Samurai in the modern world. You are a minority among the world. In the way you dress. In the way you think about God, etc. You feel like the rest of the world rejects you in a way, but you're there to preach the word. You really can't even get that feeling with Christianity, since Christianity is more mainstream in western countries.
You do have to have a bit of a nuanced mind to seek similar feelings to what being a Muslim feels like. I would say that's a positive about being an ex-muslim. I feel like I can appreciate other cultures of living which are under a shade and not that popular.
"If you don't like your religion's fundamentalists, then maybe there's something wrong with your religion's fundamentals."
"Demanding blind respect but not offering any respect in reciprocation is laughable."
"Let all the people in all the worlds be in peace."