Personal Narrative: Growing Up In Iran

251 Words2 Pages
Growing up Iranian-American, in a predominantly conservative southern suburb, means that my whole life has been spent around people with different beliefs. At first, it was easy to feel isolated, and in all honesty, angry that I was the odd one out. These feelings are trivial when compared to the ridicule I faced when religion came up. After many years of failing to realize the gravity of my uniqueness, I was finally able to visit Iran. There, I visited the shrine of an important Islamic Imam, Imam Reza. I met a lady there who had endured an abundance of hardship. She talked to me and noticed I had touched the shrine, so me being a “Seyed,” or a member of the Prophet Muhammad’s immediate family, she rubbed my hands on her while murmuring a