“I studied Islam in school for years. I know it well. That is exactly why I cannot accept it.”

Take the claim seriously, because it is usually made sincerely, and then test it the way any claim should be tested.

Years in a classroom is real exposure. Whether it produced knowledge of the religion is a separate question, and it has an answer, because the claim is checkable. A person who knows the religion well will describe its rulings accurately.

So look at what tends to follow. That a woman may be married off without her consent: the Prophet annulled such a marriage, and the report is in al-Bukhari. That women cannot testify: the verse cited to prove it appoints them as witnesses. That the Qur'an licenses beating a wife into obedience: the verse is a sequence aimed at reconciliation, and the man who delivered it never struck a woman in his life.

Each of these is contradicted by the sources, and none of the contradictions is obscure. Which raises the real question: what exactly was taught in that classroom?

The honest answer is that a great many Muslims are handed a version of their religion that is thin, poorly argued, and delivered by someone who could not answer a hard question and resented being asked one. That is a genuine failure, and it belongs to the teaching. A person who rejected that version rejected something indefensible. They did not reject Islam. They were never shown it.

You are entitled to examine the religion and reject it. What is not available is rejecting a caricature and calling the verdict informed. Bring one specific ruling you were taught, and check it against the source. That is the whole invitation.