10 Things That Scared (And Still Scares) Me About Islam

Assalamu Alaykum.

I hope to word this blog very carefully. I'm sure that all reverts out there will agree with me that there are things that petrified horrified worried me when I first began Islam. Here is my list:

1. Terrorists Extremists - After 9/11, the media has never ceased to "Muslim-bash." There is not a week that goes by without a picture of the typical stereotypical Muslim guy on TV: Asian, black or greying hair (the whiter the hair, the more official the dude is), long beard, piercing eyes, etc. You get the picture. And it's not fair on the 99% of the Muslims who believe in peace, hence we greet people with "salaam." I find it difficult to completely immerse myself in Islam when I hear stories about suicide bomb plots, anti-gay revolutionists, women-bashers, etc. To any non-Muslim out there, we're not all like that.
2. Pronouncing things wrong - I can't even say "Assalamu Alaykum" correctly and with a tinge of Arabic, how do you expect me to say "Alhamdu lillahi rabbil 'alamin"?!
3. Head chopping - With regards to Shariah Law, I actually love the idea of "an eye for an eye." If you kill someone, you should be killed but only if the heirs of the victim say so (they heirs of the victim have a right to demand the murderer to be executed). I love that the heirs of the victim can waive that right as an act of charity. Love it. But I am so scared of committing a sin that I did not know of, and then suddenly my hand is chopped off, I'm lynched and dead. Insha'Allah that won't happen!
4. Jihad - I am actually still a little scared of this one. Every non-Muslim person perceives "Jihad" to be an excuse to kill non-Muslims because God says so. I'm scared that if I go to a Muslim country they'll think I'm a non-Muslim and just kill me. Relinquishing rational irrational fears sure is difficult! Jihad, by the way, is a term used to refer to the struggles of a person to become a better Muslim (Greater Jihad). Lesser Jihad is the holy way argument thing. Most Muslims are only involved in Greater Jihad!
5. Women bashing - I have no idea where I got this notion from. Astaghfirullah.
6. Jesus is not real - Having lived as a Christian for a good few years of my life, having Jesus out of my life was like piercing a hole through me. Then Islam's "Isa" filled that hole up again.
7. Faith bashing - I always thought that Islam is intolerant of other faiths. Guess I thought wrong.
8. Brainwashing - I thought that Islam aims to brainwash everyone to become Muslim. Then I found "There is no compulsion in religion." Subhan'Allah.
9. Punishment from God - I once had the CRAZY idea that God, or rather Allah, punishes us during our lifetime with earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. But it turns out, that doctrine is only held by the Catholics.
10. Homosexuality is a sin - This still worries me. I know some gay people and I don't want to see them as nothing short of sinful, evil people.

There is my Top 10 list of things that worry me about Islam. I'm sure there are still some more swirling in the back of my head. Is there anything that worries you about Islam? Let me know as a comment below!