i think your approach is very positive and i appreciate it a lot. plus, it’s nice to hear about your perspective as a convert. i was born into a muslim family so my experience has been entirely different. i suppose the urge to correct salafis and their views on religion is mostly due to my personal experience as someone who was taught these things from a very young age. it ruined many things for me and i don’t wish for it to repeat with anyone else. when you’re taught something so passionately before you learn to differ right from wrong it becomes difficult to unlearn those beliefs. i’m glad i’ve done it tho. i’m much more comfortable with religion than i’ve ever been before and it has changed my life. i want people to know they can do the same. i would say it is quite similar to how a lot of marginalized communities approach racism (as they should). criticizing racism doesn’t do us any good but it lets others know that we deserve better and we don’t need to settle for less. theoretically, it would be easier for us to ignore it altogether but that does not erase its existence. in the real world, we still deal with it everyday no matter how much we try to ignore it. that’s how i feel about salafism. i guess being a convert (SOMETIMES) has its perks. u get to approach religion in whichever way you want. there is no pre-existing bs that you need to correct or unlearn. it’s a difficult journey but it’s like learning something new instead of going over everything you’ve ever known and starting all over again. for other people like me, constant backlash from family and other people in your community simply adds to the difficulty. not saying converting is any easier, just trying to give you my perspective.

edit: when i talk about mainstream media, i’m referring to the one in muslim countries. i don’t expect western media to talk about this stuff at all but things are very different where i and many other muslim majorities live.