starkind i owe you an apology
the truth is yes, you could find a progressive community of practice and fulfill the obligations of islam and become a muslim and be accepted. i hope you can understand my joke was really a reflection on two things a) a quip at your expense yes, and reading back on it, looks like legit gatekeeping of the style that occurs only in anonymous chatrooms, and i think came off much ruder than i anticipated. really a reflection of my own ignorance at the time of writing and wanting a cheap laugh, but also b) the state of trans rights in predominantly islamic communities (at least the ones i've lived in)
it would not be an easy thing for you to do. i wont talk about any other country except the one ive spent the most of my time in, indonesia, where waria culture is hard to miss, but it would be a lie to tell you, yes you can just fit in and no one will harass or bother you. you could uncomfortably hide it, sure, but say you dared to be yourself and reach out to relate emotionally with others, it would be an uphill battle where you'd face constant quizzing and proving yourself and not uncommonly would you be asked to simply 'change' and be a fundamentally a different person. it could be a very aggravating and wholly non-spiritual experience at times, again, depending on if you are able to find a tolerant community. and outside of the practice, there are dominant political parties trying to make your identity a crime. so yes, while possible, it would not be a walk in the park. more respect to you if you were to navigate it. it is simply a country that is has a very different history, and could be considered as living in a different, older era especially in the northwest
all that said, frankly, this quizzing and proving happens to just about everyone in the community, and it's very hard to be perfect for every relative, older person, people you respect. i dont think we're alone in that
so I hope you can accept my apology. in the scheme of things, i do not, nor does anyone else have any ability to outright stop you from being yourself and doing the things you want to do, but it would be dishonest to say that some people wont try... so even if this was all just a joke on a joke, i apologize if i made you feel bad.. and thx kaveh for calling me out so i could reflect on it
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