<p>Last summer, on a social networking site, I had my display picture as a flag of Lebanon to mourn the violence that was occurring between Hezbollah and Israel in July. </p>
<p>Apparently, this seemed offensive to a random networker, and he/she messaged me with,</p>
<p>I have no idea what instigated him and I did reply calmly, but still let him know I was irritated.</p>
<p>I want to focus one of my essays on a personal memoir of the surprising and out-of-the-blue hardships I've faced as a practicing Muslim in the USA. I was born and raised here; Why am I any different? It still bothers me to this day and I don't intend on waging war on Westerns. In fact, I condemn the same radicals that performed the attacks of 9/11.</p>
<p>Now, I don't want this to be a political treatise/slogan, but I was wondering how I might enhance this to stray away from politics/current events/fact-telling and focus on ME?</p>
<p>Confine your essay to hardships (or anything else that is personal and specific to you) you've faced. Don't talk about politics, except as a background to specific events involving you personally. "After 9/11, I was...".</p>
<p>I really do not want to talk about 9/11 specifically. Maybe mention it. While it truly was the pivotal point for all Muslims in the West, I think the topic's relation to Islam is so watered down by now and as a Muslim almost complaining or listing out the hardships of post-September 11th, it seems that I am contributing nothing.</p>
<p>Okay. I've had much more experience with intercultural/interfaith work than surviving a mosque attack. I think that writing an essay on intercultural/interfaith experiences would be much stronger than talking broadly about the hardships of an Arab American Muslim female. Opinions?</p>
<p>Yes. Your detailed, honest, personal, revealing essay on your experiences would make for a much stronger college essay than would "talking broadly about the hardships of an Arab American Muslim female."</p>
<p>i agree, writing about your personal experiences would make a much stronger essay than just talking about the issue broadly. put your own story into it and explain how you've overcome these hardships or how they might have made you stronger.</p>