Thread by @CerieOfficial

Ok a quick, maybe not so quick, thread on my experiences as a white revert vs those of minorities.

Context there’s been discussions with people I dearly respect about if we are too happy when white folk become Muslim as compared to others

So here goes

Chapter 1 marriage:
I’ll start with a little story of my experiences trying to get married vs my wife’s experiences

4 me I was pretty much welcomed into any house to at least meet & discuss marriage, there were some strange moments along the way but I wasn’t rejected due to race

My wife’s experience as a black revert was very different.
Now let me make this clear, my wife is a waaay better catch Islamically than me. Alhamdulillah she is doing hifz, teaches Quran and is an all around star ⭐️
But most families won’t marry the k word into their family.

Chapter 2 treatment

Since I first became Muslim I’ve been welcomed with open arms Alhamdulillah. One restaurant literally wouldn’t let me pay for food @AftabSarwar15 remembers this I’m sure.

I knew one revert from a Hindu background, no one even realised he was a convert as he was just another brown Muslim, no special treatment for him. Until his parents beat him so badly he was brain damaged and lost his facilities, then he was banned from mosque for wetting himself

Or another revert Im still close with who’s family put idols in his room after he converted and would try to force feed him food in Ramadan. For his own safety he didn’t tell his family openly about becoming Muslim for over a decade
No special treatment for him from the community

Or the time I’m standing at ELM with another revert, he’s a black brother who was in the Queens choir, went to private schools way posher & more British than me
A brother approach’s us, says to me
Him ‘your a revert?’
Me ‘We both are yes’
He ignores the other brother entirely

Him ‘oh I’m so happy when you british people become Muslim’
Me ‘we are both reverts, we are both british’ (I didn’t point out my mate literally sang in palaces I wish I had)
He continued 2 utterly ignore my brother standing next to me 2 the point beyond rude, enthralled by white

Then there was the time late one night in a ice cream spot in forest gate.
An brother comes in while I’m standing with a friend (born Muslim) asks me if I’m a convert, I reply yes...
He dropped to his knees stated trying to kiss my feet IM NOT KIDDING!

Not to mention all the cab rides where I’m told how pure I am as a revert and how seeing white people convert gives them an eman boost.

Don’t get me wrong, we should be happy when anyone converts to Islam.
Reverts do rock! Abu Baker (ra) Umar (ra) all the best shahaba were converts ;)
What does my head in is the mismatch in treatment between reverts based on race.

There is a horrible internalised racism and deference to white that means by and large white reverts are seen as gold treasures, that’s not the experience of Black Muslim reverts who get massive negative treatment or asian converts that are ignored.

To those that say this is a white country these experiences have happened & continued while traveling around the world
In South America Muslims would stroke my beard for luck

We can’t suddenly pretend colonialism didn’t happen or white privilege isn’t steeped into our community

We have to realise that in many cases while ALL reverts can have troubles and hardships with family etc often (not always) the experiences of white brothers is not comparable to sisters and especially POC reverts.
Yet we heap praise on white guys in a hugely disproportionate way

Last point as it pops to my mind, becoming Muslim is a racialised process in the modern world.
White Muslims myself included get told to go home etc
But that doesn’t change the fact that we start from a privileged place