How often do Muslims convert between different sects of Islam?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

So this is something that I was just thinking of:

Christians convert between different denominations and completely different branches of Christianity quite frequently.

Christians converting to Islam is not particularly uncommon.

Muslims converting to Christianity is somewhat common at least in the West.

However it's pretty rare to hear of inter-religious conversions amongst Muslims. Like it seems that converting from Sunni to Shia or Shia to Sunni isn't heard about much and I can't think of any examples unlike converting from Catholic to Protestant or Protestant to Catholic which doesn't even really raise any eyebrows anymore, or even converting Christian to Muslim or Muslim to Christian which again are definitely common enough to notice things in the West. So is it common at all and if not why?

[Хahar 🤔]

Islam, obviously, largely lacks the sort of microdenominationalism you see in Protestant Christianity, and so the topic of changing denominations is unfamiliar. The differences between Sunnis and Shiites arise first from disagreements over the legitimate source of political power and only secondarily from disagreements about theology; the political concerns are at least a thousand years removed from being immediately meaningful and the theological concerns are much less important than one might think because Muslims don't typically care about theology. Consequently there's little to draw a Muslim to the other side, especially considering how strange Shiite practices are to the typical Sunni (and I imagine this works in the other direction as well). If I had religious questions as a Sunni, it would be difficult for me to see how Shiism would answer them.

The one obvious reason I can think of to change denominations is the obvious one: marriage. This would typically only happen in places with large numbers of both, which is fairly uncommon. For the first time I met someone from a mixed background at the wedding I was at last weekend: he was from the other family, and he was from a mixed Kurdish/Turkmen (Sunni) background from northern Iraq on his father's side and Lebanese Shiite on his mother's side. Both of his parents grew up in Australia and his mother became Sunni when she married his father. This guy retains what his orthodox Sunni cousins describe as strange ideas about the hadith, which they attribute to his mixed background. It bothers them and they hope that he returns to the correct realization of the faith.

[All Along The Watchtower]

How often do people switch from the community they and likely many generations of their ancestors grew up in to a community that is altogether different?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How often do people switch from the community they and likely many generations of their ancestors grew up in to a community that is altogether different?

Quite frequently.a

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Islam, obviously, largely lacks the sort of microdenominationalism you see in Protestant Christianity, and so the topic of changing denominations is unfamiliar. The differences between Sunnis and Shiites arise first from disagreements over the legitimate source of political power and only secondarily from disagreements about theology; the political concerns are at least a thousand years removed from being immediately meaningful and the theological concerns are much less important than one might think because Muslims don't typically care about theology. Consequently there's little to draw a Muslim to the other side, especially considering how strange Shiite practices are to the typical Sunni (and I imagine this works in the other direction as well). If I had religious questions as a Sunni, it would be difficult for me to see how Shiism would answer them.

The one obvious reason I can think of to change denominations is the obvious one: marriage. This would typically only happen in places with large numbers of both, which is fairly uncommon. For the first time I met someone from a mixed background at the wedding I was at last weekend: he was from the other family, and he was from a mixed Kurdish/Turkmen (Sunni) background from northern Iraq on his father's side and Lebanese Shiite on his mother's side. Both of his parents grew up in Australia and his mother became Sunni when she married his father. This guy retains what his orthodox Sunni cousins describe as strange ideas about the hadith, which they attribute to his mixed background. It bothers them and they hope that he returns to the correct realization of the faith.

Interesting because I've seen plenty of intense Islamic debate online about theological tenents comparable to such debate amongst Christians and how things like Ash'ari vs. Muʿtazila seems to remain relevant topics debated today. But of course this is probably yet another example of how social media is not real life.

[Хahar 🤔]

Islam, obviously, largely lacks the sort of microdenominationalism you see in Protestant Christianity, and so the topic of changing denominations is unfamiliar. The differences between Sunnis and Shiites arise first from disagreements over the legitimate source of political power and only secondarily from disagreements about theology; the political concerns are at least a thousand years removed from being immediately meaningful and the theological concerns are much less important than one might think because Muslims don't typically care about theology. Consequently there's little to draw a Muslim to the other side, especially considering how strange Shiite practices are to the typical Sunni (and I imagine this works in the other direction as well). If I had religious questions as a Sunni, it would be difficult for me to see how Shiism would answer them.

The one obvious reason I can think of to change denominations is the obvious one: marriage. This would typically only happen in places with large numbers of both, which is fairly uncommon. For the first time I met someone from a mixed background at the wedding I was at last weekend: he was from the other family, and he was from a mixed Kurdish/Turkmen (Sunni) background from northern Iraq on his father's side and Lebanese Shiite on his mother's side. Both of his parents grew up in Australia and his mother became Sunni when she married his father. This guy retains what his orthodox Sunni cousins describe as strange ideas about the hadith, which they attribute to his mixed background. It bothers them and they hope that he returns to the correct realization of the faith.

Interesting because I've seen plenty of intense Islamic debate online about theological tenents comparable to such debate amongst Christians and how things like Ash'ari vs. Muʿtazila seems to remain relevant topics debated today. But of course this is probably yet another example of how social media is not real life.

Yes, that's exactly right. Obviously the Internet attracts weirdos. My mom is a very committed Muslim who spends all her time when she's driving to and from work (and plenty of time elsewhere) listening to various contemporary Islamic scholars deliver discourses: the topics never have to do with theology and usually pertain to self-help. (In this regard, as is often the case, Sunnism resembles nothing more than non-denominational Protestantism.)

The only truly theological controversy of note in Islamic history is the Mu'tazilite controversy. That one is reminiscent of the arguments you see throughout Christian history regarding the nature of the Godhead and the like. Everything else has always been fundamentally about politics.

[All Along The Watchtower]

How often do people switch from the community they and likely many generations of their ancestors grew up in to a community that is altogether different?

Quite frequently.a

Globally.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

An interesting Muslim theological "issue" I've seen discussed FWIW is whether it's acceptable to have a Quran app on your smartphone. Apparently some people think that it's not OK because you may have to restore and wipe your phone, thus "deleting the Quran", and once you replace it you'd thus have to either delete the app and the same thing or recycle your old one and thus "throw away" the Quran. Whether this is a serious concern of many or just some weirdos' views I do not know.

[_.]

Islam, obviously, largely lacks the sort of microdenominationalism you see in Protestant Christianity, and so the topic of changing denominations is unfamiliar. The differences between Sunnis and Shiites arise first from disagreements over the legitimate source of political power and only secondarily from disagreements about theology; the political concerns are at least a thousand years removed from being immediately meaningful and the theological concerns are much less important than one might think because Muslims don't typically care about theology. Consequently there's little to draw a Muslim to the other side, especially considering how strange Shiite practices are to the typical Sunni (and I imagine this works in the other direction as well). If I had religious questions as a Sunni, it would be difficult for me to see how Shiism would answer them.

The one obvious reason I can think of to change denominations is the obvious one: marriage. This would typically only happen in places with large numbers of both, which is fairly uncommon. For the first time I met someone from a mixed background at the wedding I was at last weekend: he was from the other family, and he was from a mixed Kurdish/Turkmen (Sunni) background from northern Iraq on his father's side and Lebanese Shiite on his mother's side. Both of his parents grew up in Australia and his mother became Sunni when she married his father. This guy retains what his orthodox Sunni cousins describe as strange ideas about the hadith, which they attribute to his mixed background. It bothers them and they hope that he returns to the correct realization of the faith.

Interesting because I've seen plenty of intense Islamic debate online about theological tenents comparable to such debate amongst Christians and how things like Ash'ari vs. Muʿtazila seems to remain relevant topics debated today. But of course this is probably yet another example of how social media is not real life.

The average Muslim has never heard the words "Ash'ari" or "Mu'tazila"

An interesting Muslim theological "issue" I've seen discussed FWIW is whether it's acceptable to have a Quran app on your smartphone. Apparently some people think that it's not OK because you may have to restore and wipe your phone, thus "deleting the Quran", and once you replace it you'd thus have to either delete the app and the same thing or recycle your old one and thus "throw away" the Quran. Whether this is a serious concern of many or just some weirdos' views I do not know.

The latter

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How often do people switch from the community they and likely many generations of their ancestors grew up in to a community that is altogether different?

Quite frequently.a

Globally.

Even if you're saying this is really only common in the US which isn't true, (look at South America for one), it's still a valid question for Muslims in the US (although Xahar covered it well.)

[SInNYC]

As far as I know, you dont need to go through any formal ceremony to convert to any sect of Islam, you just need to do it 'in your mind', possibly chanting something to yourself.

As there are many inter-sect marriages where the woman just starts attending her husband's masjid, such conversions are commonplace. In some places, such marriages are/were quite common - in Saddam's Iraq (but no more), about a third of all marriages were mixed.