IMO it’s a religion like any other, meaning it can be practiced to any extent. After all, we all know Muslims who drink alcohol, we all know Abrahamics who get tattoos or cut their hair or skip religious service etc. There are practices which are normal for everyone to skip and yet some are seen as so essential, even when they are listed directly next to each other in holy texts.
I was Muslim for 17 years, I did Ramadan many years as a kid, I didn’t eat pork, I prayed to God, and learned some teachings from Islam and my dad’s culture, but at the same time I never prayed properly with a rug (and definitely not 5 times a day), I never have set foot in a mosque, and I never read the Quar’an more than a few pages or kids books parables. I tried to learn Arabic but never did.
While I no longer identify as Muslim, I still am proud of my past as a Muslim and general Abrahamism is a large part of my spiritual beliefs to this day. I would never allow someone to tell me “you were NEVER a REAL Muslim” just because of those aforementioned things I never did.
IMO, take what you want and leave what you don’t. I’m sure there are many non-Abrahamic women in your side of this Earth, why restrict yourself while searching for love? You can still identify as a Muslim and learn great things from the wealth of this religion. You can still pray even if you can’t manage 5x a day, you can still read stuff translated from Arabic.
Obviously those with stricter views might disagree with my takes here, but my ultimate view is that religion is meant to be personalized, and religion just like language, culture, traditions, and art will change from its origin after crossing seas of water and time.
spoiler
IMO it’s a religion like any other, meaning it can be practiced to any extent. After all, we all know Muslims who drink alcohol, we all know Abrahamics who get tattoos or cut their hair or skip religious service etc. There are practices which are normal for everyone to skip and yet some are seen as so essential, even when they are listed directly next to each other in holy texts.
I was Muslim for 17 years, I did Ramadan many years as a kid, I didn’t eat pork, I prayed to God, and learned some teachings from Islam and my dad’s culture, but at the same time I never prayed properly with a rug (and definitely not 5 times a day), I never have set foot in a mosque, and I never read the Quar’an more than a few pages or kids books parables. I tried to learn Arabic but never did.
While I no longer identify as Muslim, I still am proud of my past as a Muslim and general Abrahamism is a large part of my spiritual beliefs to this day. I would never allow someone to tell me “you were NEVER a REAL Muslim” just because of those aforementioned things I never did.
IMO, take what you want and leave what you don’t. I’m sure there are many non-Abrahamic women in your side of this Earth, why restrict yourself while searching for love? You can still identify as a Muslim and learn great things from the wealth of this religion. You can still pray even if you can’t manage 5x a day, you can still read stuff translated from Arabic.
Obviously those with stricter views might disagree with my takes here, but my ultimate view is that religion is meant to be personalized, and religion just like language, culture, traditions, and art will change from its origin after crossing seas of water and time.