Copy pasted again from Reddit post and did some editing.
Remember my experience may vary from other Muslims out there cuz Islam is very diverse and experiences differ from community to community.
Now, the Imams and religious folks around me used to wear green turbans until recently they allowed more colors and now they mostly wear white turbans. I remember they are mocked as "green parrots".
Although they were Hanafi but they were strictly against like science especially modern science and that was my first reason when I became skeptical. When I came to know that they believe that earth is stationary and whoever believe that earth is moving, they are innovators and misguided and out from the creed of Ahlus Sunnah.
We have a lot of emphasis on chanting known as Dhikr, I was interested in too. I wanna be an Aamil when I was a child. It's like spiritual doctor. I was a lot zealous. If I did not change, I would end up join their organization Dawat e Islami.
I chant like name Allah 100 times after prayer. Used to pray Sunnat prayers after Fard.
I was also taught that women are not allowed to do job like they are allowed when there is financial problems but many women do that and it is like okay!! do it. We are strongly against "western values" like "liberalism". When a girl does not wear hijab, they are backbitted by women of the community as being "liberal", "western" and not usually considered good. Strong emphasis on gender segregation.
Idk but people from other religions are always looked down. As in my country, the majority folks who are not Muslim are poor doing jobs like sweeping and other low paid jobs. So, like Christians are stereotyped as "black sweepers". Inter religion marriage is usually looked down and faced with heavy backlash like I did not hear anyone I know marrying someone outside religion, even marrying outside the sect. Rarely this is happened but it is not considered good. I like non Muslims and try to take stand for them as much as possible and I have non Muslim friends and I treated them better to this day.
Homosexuals are considered "mentally ill". Even when I discovered this "mental illness", I did not tell anyone 'cuz it is so much shameful like constant mockery. Therapy is looked down and mostly keep it taboo.
Domestic violence is common, like if women is bold enough, then men don't say but if she is not, then men beat them.
A unique thing I remember is from their (my earliest sect) Christology like Jesus will marry an Arab woman named Raadiya/Raaziya(letter is dawd) from the clan of Bani Ghassaan. (idk from where they get that)
Remember that stationary earth thing, this make me question my sect. Also, when I started praying like a Hanbali cuz I saw that there are hadith showing this, I faced so much backlash from community. Mostly guys were stopping me and asking me that are you Shia? are you Salafi? Munafiqs used to keep idols under their arms so that's why they raised their hands a lot now there is no need. I was just doing prayer like them otherwise I was not changed. I was a Barelvi like I ask Prophet for help, I pray extra nights, I do Fatiha, but when I start getting hate and when I start researching more, I became more exposed to Salafi content and I stopped following the sect and I start reading hadith on my own and stopped asking help from Prophet and became more God centric and I rejected their innovations and their doctrine that there are some good innovations and some bad one. At one point, I was so hateful that what I was taught as a child was all wrong and so I want to k*ll all members of my community. I cursed Abu Hanifah. I cursed other figures of my cult. I even start considering them Kafir which they would consider me. Salafis approached me when they knew that I am changing. Some became my good friends and they were like love bombing and saying that yeah, you are good enough. I stopped praying in my local masjid and did masjid swapping that is praying in one masjid at a time and then praying in another masjid at another time, so that I can avoid the spotlight. When I became a Salafi, my parents were against me. My dad even took me to local Imam but his proofs did not convince me.
I was then become against Sufism. Then after getting more exposure, I met some moderate Salafi scholars who said that my community is a Muslim. I hid many beliefs and practices. I accepted that. I became more extreme like no mixed gathering, no birthdays, no independence day, no Mawlid, no fiqh, no standing for national anthem. I used to pray night prayers. I used to do all dhikr written in Sunni hadith. Then when I came to know about internal conflicts of Sahabah, I became skeptical about Sahabah. And I start to incline more toward Shia side of Islam. At that time, I consider all sects Muslims except Ahmadis, Quranists and liberals. Then, I started watching Sunnah Discourse. Then again hating Shia and my ex sect. Then, I start exploring other scholars from different sects and I became more skeptical toward Sahabah (at one point when I was ultra Salafi, I used to hate Ali like c'mon he is cliche, stop praising him too much. Then I love him and I start saying Alayh Salam and Mola and Imam to him, I start saying elegies for Ahle bayt, and hate Muawiyah. Then, no more hating and loving. Then, loving Ahle bayt a lot and hating Muawiyah, Aisha, first three caliph of Islam, Amr bin Aas, Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas.) I realized later on that being non denominational is the only way now as all the scholars and all sects are just not complete truth and Quran and hadith do not say to divide in sects So, I became mixture of all sects. I prayed in all ways that is done by Muslims. I prayed like Twelvers too and Hanafis too after a long period of time and Zaydi too. i actually like Zaydism. They were quite neutral. And frankly, I did not find any ex Muslim from their community and from Ibadi community. I then started being more spiritual and finding good things in Sufism too and appreciating some concepts of my earliest sect like love of Prophet, poetry done for Prophet.
Also, I was more in studying Islam. I started learning Arabic back in my Salafi days(still learning), I read Bukhari gave some gap to it when I reached 3rd vol, then started with Mishkaat. I read Mustadrak al Hakim. I read some Nahjul Balagha (translation). Then I studied Hadith sciences a little bit from a Hanafi scholar and guess what, I realize that most of the Imams and religious folks, not even the Shaykh ul Hadith do not know the hadith sciences properly. I used to read Quran daily and hadith daily too. I was interested in Qiraat. I read Hafs since a child. Then read Warsh, then Soosi and Doori from the riwayah of Abu Amr.
I forgot one thing, I used to be Islamist too when becoming more Salafi, like caliphate, revival of Islam, rule of Islam (I used to watch Daniel Haqiqatjou a lot, Muhammad Hijab too).
Then now last year (2024), I came across Mufti Abu Layth, and he changed me a lot as I found him reasonable and I left Salafism and conservatism and also came across Reddit and progressive Islam sub reddit. I found it convincing. And also, I began exploring other religion and I read Bible, when I read NT, it also changed me a lot building more love for Jesus and making me more kind. I became more tolerant, more rational.
Now, I am currently exploring other religions, not so religious and chanting guy. Just do my fard prayer left Sunnat prayers in my Salafi days. Looking Islam skeptically and so other religion. I am still spiritual but now enjoying life. (Now I do not do prayers like I do acting of prayer but actually stopped doing it. I have lost love for that religion and like supernatural deities in general. I like reading religious scriptures though and idk I resonate with Jesus sometimes and maybe I watched Christian content a lot from my deconversion so I will say Jesus name when I get hit or like I fall. I am still not sure of non-existence of any supernatural deity but I think I should let it go and don't care about that stuff anymore.)
