So, as a person who is moderately "religious" and has lived into his mid-70's I see three different aspects of religion that one should ponder, both with respect to one's own religion, but especially for others.
First, every religion has a HISTORY - who formed it, how it was formed, what are it's basic historical beliefs, and finally, whether that history is totally, partially, or not at all, nonsense,
Second is DOGMA. Dogma is the set of basic beliefs that adherents cling to, and which, if you reject any one of them, you. might not honestly be able to consider yourself a "believer" with respect to that religion. For Christianity, I would propose that "dogma" is pretty much set forth in the. Nicene Creed.
Third is, for lack of a better term, CITIZENSHIP. Do adherents to that religion act as good "citizens"? Are they law abiding contributors to the society at large, or are they a pain in the ass in any society that is not totally founded on that religion?
Every religion can be evaluated on these three traits, and if one is going to "convert" to that religion, I think one should be satisfied that the answers to the normal questions in those three aspects should be satisfactory.
Finally, one might consider the ramifications of growing up in a particular religion, and how wedded to the religion are one's parents, and how that impacts your ability to look at both your own religion and that of others. Can you be objective? Personal thing, eh.
As for Islam, its history is in many aspects unbelievable or nonsense, in addition to being almost totally made-up. The Holy Koran was first written more than a hundred years after the death - if indeed he actually lived - of Mohammed. Biographies of The Prophet were written even later, and are akin to picking up 40 or so pieces of a hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle and guessing about what the other pieces showed. But really, who cares? Islam has been a major force in the history of both the Middle East and surrounding regions, and it is what it is. What difference does it make if they had to fill in the blanks about the origins of the religion?
The Dogma of Islam is no better and not much worse than that of other religions with one major exception: Islam does not recognize the intrinsic need to separate Church and State, thus facilitating disastrous governments doing abominable things, at the direction of horrible religious zealot leaders. Countries like Iran become a cancer to an entire region of the world as a result of this great failing of dogma. Also, Islam has certain beliefs - if taken seriously - that are antithetical to modern thought throughout the contemporary world. Sinners and apostates are not just expelled from the religious community, they are overtly punished or sentenced to death by Sharia courts.
Finally, are Muslims good citizens of the countries in which they reside? Do they obey the laws, contribute to the economy, contribute people who work well in public service positions, and produce good babies? Who can say? In many instances, yes, but there are horrible people and regimes who stake a claim to being motivated by Islamic fervor, and no authoritative Muslim leaders call them out on it. Putting it another way, there is no Muslim "Pope" who can tell these people and regimes that they are distorting "true Islam," and should knock it off.
For a modern woman to convert to Islam is both puzzling and perverse.
