What is Islam in my culture?

I am English. I was born in England, I look English, I am culturally English and ethnically English. I like being English. I don't like being British so much but that's another issue. I am Muslim as well, trying to separate culture from Islam because, some of the clothing, ways of eating and other practices are def only cultural.

There are things in my religion that are commands I must do, such as cover my skin and head and not to show any outline shape of my body when I'm outside. There's things in Islam that are sunnah, (what the Prophet, salalahu 3lehi wa silum, did) and so they are recommended strongly, like eating with your fingers rather than knifes, spoons and forks and for a man, marrying more than one woman. I want to be able to obey the root of the command or sunnah, and leave out the cultural weight that is rli alien to me.

I don't mean modernising Islam or updating it. Islam doesn't need updating. It is the truth and so it will not change. To me, it seems that what society calls 'modern muslims' are just weak Muslims who choose to be slack in their practices like prayers and alcohol. Then non-Muslims regard them as being more progressive and to some extent, more acceptable. That's not what I'm talking about for me. I don't need to be accepted by a sub-culture that is against Allah.

I want to be a strict, good, hanbali Muslim but still keep my western Englishness and not feel like I am changing ethnicity and traditional culture. Like the black abaya that I wear and niqab. I don't like it. I have wore it for three months now and it needs to be different for me. The command to cover youself as a woman is non-negotiable but the other part about not making yourself stick out in society and causing attention to yourself is the part I want to change. I feel like when I am all in black I do really stick out and I also can back up with evidence that I get more comments both righteous and bitching ones, than I do when I blend in to society more. It might also be because I go around in black total covered without a male family escort with me, because I don't have one, but I have to live!

I think I would feel better and remain obedient to Allah, subhana wa ta 3la, if I dressed more normal and still kept strict hijab, than if I dressed all in black like Muslims do in other cultures. It's really hard for a western revert because, other Muslims make out like it's all Islam but it's not.