Dear Majid,

Enjoyed your writing!  You were quite correct regarding misinterpretation of S’adis poetry.  He was a humanist by all means…and his poetry is BEST evidence and say so.  Second, Aryans 4 millennia+ ago, were neither racist, Nazi nor white-supremacists.   They were a hard-working tribe searching greener pastures for survival.  Consequently, they kept moving/migrating.   And along the way made major contributions to humanity wherever they settled.  Monsters like Hitler and his henchmen and todays’ Aryan Nation and White Supremacists have destroyed the reputation of this race/group.  I have never read or heard anything racial about this group…they are all NEGATIVE made up stories.  Even Firdausi, Iran’s Homer, never mentions anything about superiority of one race over another.

from Louise Steinman:

Yes I will share it! beautiful poem!

from Naomi Shihab Nye:

This is wonderful and necessary. I am sharing it. Thank you, Majid! 

from Hugh:

Thanks, Majid. Well said. Happy Norouz. Best regards

from Nora: 

Happy Norooz Majid aziz! 

Thanks again for another beautiful and relevant poem! I wish and hope the essence of Sa’di’s poem could be seared into human psyches! 

from Salman:

It is a nice poem. Well done.

from Ibtisam Barakat:

Hi Majid, Naomi Shihab Nye shared this poem with me. What elegance! Alive like a thousand beautiful poems pulsing in unison. Thanks so much for writing it.

Ibtisam Barakat Author of Tasting the Sky, a Palestinian Childhood and Balcony on the Moon, Coming of Age in Palestine 

from Reza Moini:

Excellent timely response.

from Ed:

Once I sign in on your website, it never goes to your poetry. Anyway, it is a very nice poem

Froom the Office of Prime Minister of New Zealand:

Thank you for your kind words.

The Prime Minister has been deeply moved by the support and compassion shown in the wake of the attack in Christchurch, and by the thousands of people who have taken the time to share their condolences.

She has asked me to pass on the following statement:

My thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones and who are now experiencing unimaginable pain and grief. While I can’t take away this pain, I send the Muslim community my love, as so many New Zealanders have, and the reassurance that I will do all I can to support them. My focus is ensuring those who have been affected have the care and support they need - not just now, but in the coming months and years.

This is a tragic time, and all of New Zealand is feeling the impact. While we as a nation grapple with a form of grief and anger we have not experienced before, the compassion and kindness that has been expressed at community events, on social media, and by people right across the country show us who we are as a nation.

Going forward, I know those are the values we’ll all work hard to protect.

Thanks again for getting in touch.

Kind regards

Dinah Okeby Office of the Prime Minister