Ex-muslim Here to answer any questions you might have

[Yupster]

34. I'd like to know what the attraction is?

Even at its best to this outsider, it looks like Islam treats women as second class citizens. You see this carnage going on in 50 countries around the world seeing these hopelessly backward people beheading schoolteachers in Thailand and enslaving children in Africa.

I know quite a few Muslim families in my circle of friends and acquaintances and they are all doctors, computer programmers, hotel owners, etc. I'm not comfortable asking them so I'll ask you.

What is the attraction? Why would a person in today's world, an educated, even wealthy person look around the world and say Islam is a movement they want to be involved with in any way. I would think there would be a mass movement of people leaving Islam, but there doesn't seem to be. Can you help me understand this?

PS: A couple of years ago I was on vacation in Austria and I saw my first people in burkhas. It was in a fancy hotel restaurant in a fancy tourist area. There were two couples at a nearby table, two 20 something men and two women in full burkhas. It was really disturbing to me. The burkhas did not cover the women. They removed them from the world. They had to put each forkfull of food under their faceplate veil which must have been very difficult to enjoy, but that wasn't even the disturbing part. The women were removed from the table conversation. You couldn't see them smile or frown if they liked or didn't like the food which honestly is part of the fun of going to somewhere like Austria. When the waiter came by the women couldn't talk to the waiter. He talked to the men who then whispered to the hidden women, who then whispered to their husbands what they wanted. Still today it's disturbing to me, kind of like seeing a parent punch his kid 20 years ago and still can't forget it today.

Anyway, again I ask ... what is the attraction?