If you tell someone from the West, "I am a moderate Muslim"; that someone might as well take it that you have taken ingredients from Islam which are OK for the Westerners and that you have dropped certain elements NOT OK to them.

Examples:

1. It's okay to meet cordially with people not from your faith. (taken/adopted,OK)

2. Not okay to drink alcohol. (Dropped, NOT OK)

Just an example, no rebuttal of any sort, no hard feelings.