Answer
Short Answer: Your parents care for you, but you need to be patient with them. Try to live quietly and simply and modestly as a good Muslim, without looking for a fight or to rub your Islam in their faces. Show them by your goodness and happiness that Islam has actually made you a better person.
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Assalamu Alaykum Sister Sara,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
It is quite natural in this modern age that your parents have found it difficult to accept your decision to become Muslim.
Their only knowledge of Islam has probably come from the TV and newspapers, where Muslims are portrayed as fanatical and extreme – as indeed some are!
Your parents care for you and don’t want you to be kidnapped by bad people or led astray to harm yourself or others. They don’t want you going off to fight in foreign lands.
It is not surprising, then, that they find your choice difficult to accept.
Be Patient & Wise
As a 17-year old, you need to be patient with them. Understand how they feel.
I am not sure, though, which “rituals” you refer to.
You don’t need to pray in front of them. You can do this in your room.
You don’t need to wear hijab in front of them. They are your close family.
So what is it that you can’t do?
You can’t be made to drink alcohol or to eat foods you don’t want to eat.
Try to live quietly and simply and modestly as a good Muslim, without looking for a fight or to rub your Islam in their faces.
Show them by your goodness and happiness that Islam has actually made you better, rather than worse.
I often tell people that we can let others know about Islam without ever mentioning Islam.
You don’t need to sit down and discuss Islamic teaching with your parents. Show them, instead, by the goodness of your life, that Islam is both beautiful and sweet.
I hope that this makes sense.
Salam and please keep in touch.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
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