Tyo

As someone who grew up a Muslim, I too had to recognize the religion for what it is and let it go. You cannot be truly progressive while holding onto a regressive religion as an integral part of your identity. If all you can say every time Muslims do some Muslim shit is “Oh but Islam doesn’t actually support that,” then you’re merely making excuses instead of confronting your beliefs and values. And let’s be real, Islam is not like Christianity where you can TRULY pick and choose which parts to follow. The basics of Christianity are as easy as accepting Jesus died for your sins, whatever. With Islam, the basic tenets are much more rigid and layered. And that’s why Muslims end up having to directly or indirectly defend (and even) overlook extremism.