For the record, and perhaps this is my OOT mentality, I don’t think it’s a good idea to extrapolate someone’s hashkafa from his headgear. Not a good indicator.
I’ve also seen shuls that are very open with the amud: “hey, you’re new here! Are you visiting? Would you like to daven mincha?” And I’ve also seen shuls that are more closed, only allowing those affiliated with the shul to be shaliach tzibbur. There’s a wide range of policies, cultures and customs among shuls for a wide range of reasons, and I think people owe it to their brethren to give some benefit of the doubt before declaring an entire shul or community to be lacking in ahavas Yisroel based on hearsay.