First , many thanks to Dr. Jordan Peterson for interviewing Bambi/Rima (or Dr. Rima Azar)!
This interview was Bambi’s first public interview since February 22, 2021… It was as surrealistic to her as her continuous censorship saga.
She explains: She has the UTMOST respect for Dr. Peterson. She is both honoured and humbled to be interviewed by him. She thought carefully before accepting his kind invitation because she knows how some of us do not allow their minds and hearts be open to hear others’ meaningful messages in life… just because those “others” are not “them” and their different opinions or approaches in life may at times be different.
If Bambi has one wish today is to ask you to just be human and listen to this interview, shared below, with an open mind. How would you feel personally had you been the one interviewed by Dr. Peterson for the same reason (censorship)? How would you feel had the interviewee been your spouse, your parent or your adult child?
Please think also of the clever title of his interview: “You’re next“. “You” is anyone. You is any place. You is any university. You is any workplace. You is any province and territory. You is any country.
Today, it is about me. Tomorrow, will it be about “you”?
“You” may be you personally or “your” colleague, your student, your teacher. It may be your friend, your spouse, your parent… or your child.
No one deserves this in life, not Dr. Peterson in the past. Not Bambi now. Surely not you, with or without knowing you… regardless of your opinion about this or that topic, at a particular point in time!
Second (OK, first and foremost too :)), thanks to each one of you for your heart-warming support!!! Bambi’s fear (nightmare!) is not to thank each one of you for your generosity as soon as possible. Please trust that she is doing this in her heart right now, as she is writing this post! You will hear from her ASAP… Please forgive her if your personalized thank you note will take time to reach you.
Bambi is literally overwhelmed by your kind support, expressed in so many different ways. She thanks you from the bottom of her heart for all the emails, texts, notes, and calls! She thanks you for your solidarity!
Third, to conclude this post, you can listen to the interview of Dr. Peterson with Bambi/Rima below. Before you do so, you may wish to check Dr. Rima Azar’s new personal website. It has just been finalized and soon (over the next days or week?), you will hear a video message… in English, French, and Arabic. Please stay tuned:
Dear Dr Azar,
I just watched your conversation with Dr Peterson and I am horrified by what happened to you. I hope you are doing well and in the end win your legal battle.
Yours sincerely, Inez from Amsterdam, the Netherlands
“Dank u Well” Dear Dr. Inez Braber. Bambi/Rima so much appreciates your support all the way from Amsterdam!
Just listened to your podcast with Dr. Peterson, and I am sorry to hear about the way you have been mistreated and the sorry state of academia in Canada. Here in the USA it is not too much better at least in mainstream academia.
I am also grateful you went on Dr. Peterson’s podcast, as your story is important and needs to get out to as many people who will listen. Forgive me if you are already familiar with him, but Joe Rogan’s podcast is also a great platform to get your story out, and you sound like someone he would be interested in talking to.
PragerU and Ben Shapiro may also be useful, though they tend to be a bit partisan, except when they have truly interesting presenters or guests such as yourself. Good luck and know that those of us who listen to your story support you!
Many thanks Jean Luc (Picard) for listening to this podcast with Dr. Peterson and for kindly taking the time to express your words of support!! I appreciate your insights about academia and I thank you for your helpful ideas/suggestions. You take good care please.
This is Bambi commenting on her own post to share very kind and moving words received by Ms. Sherri Heise (appearing on an earlier post). As this comment is in relation to the interview with Dr. Peterson, Bambi will share it here as well. It will be followed by her own reply. MANY thanks again to Ms. Heise (or Sherri)…
“I just watched your interview with Jordan Peterson. Thank you both for your courage and commitment to the truth. I pray for you as you face this insanity and know that you will prevail. As you are aware, this is not only a problem in Canada, but is a major problem in the United States. My husband and I are considering moving out of the United States, but, other than Canada, where would we possibly go?”
“MANY thanks Ms. Heise (or Sherri) for taking the time to write to Bambi to express your support! Your kind words mean the world to Bambi/Rima! Indeed, Bambi is grateful for your prayer. In her turn, she sends you a prayer back with lots of positive vibes to feel free again in your great country (our Dear neighbour :))– with its historically inspiring value of freedom to so many nations in the world, including Bambi’s adoptive (Canada) as well as birth country (Lebanon). May those dark clouds (of collective insanity) know how to pass and may the light of freedom shine again on all the citizens, including your family. If you ever decide to move out (for a while or for longer), all the best to you and you spouse!! As your comment was meant for a more recent post about this interview, Bambi will copy paste it there as well. Take good care, please.”
This is Bambi sharing a post by Kojak and her reply (appearing under an earlier post)
“Dear Professor, I listened to your story and experience on the Jordan Peterson podcast. I live in the “South” of the U.S., and I have observed over the recent past that your experience is not an outlier. Indeed, it is ubiquitous, and not only in academia, as Mr. Peterson was concerned. It is in full force and application already throughout society. The HR manager at the small company where I work sent an email to all employees last year that the company was monitoring its employees’ personal social media accounts, which were totally unaffiliated with the company just like your blog, and threatened any employee with termination for making any comment the company disagreed with, but specifically “all lives matter,” hardly a controversial or threatening statement, at least several years ago. Based on this, I don’t have the courage to provide my real name on this post. The chilling effect of cancel culture is now universal, when it can touch a small company – less than 50 employees – that warned everyone to refrain from making comments the company would find inappropriate under threat of termination and directing the employees to “educate yourselves accordingly.” This last part, think or at least speak like we demand that you think – or else- was and remains chilling and profound. Predictably, not one employee commented in response for fear of termination. I don’t dare post any thought on social media that might challenge the orthodoxy that might justify my termination for speaking my mind. We are living in a dystopian nightmare where people are terrified to speak out against certain ideologies for fear of their personal, social, and financial ruin simply for speaking their minds. Quoting Martin Luther King these days is grounds for termination. Invoking or advocating the principles of classical liberalism such as meritocracy and equality of opportunity against ideologies such as identity politics now serve as justification to lose your job arbitrarily. I’m sorry for your experience, indeed a tragedy, but the larger tragedy is that your experience is not in any way unique, as millions of people now fear the same might happen to them. I felt compelled to send you this letter of support, but even typing this letter gave me great pause and concern that I might face ramifications for merely supporting you. I reconsidered whether to “press send” several times. Not because I’m “racist” (of course the disclaimer that needs to be uttered), as I attended BLM forums and protests after the George Floyd killing, but because I’m afraid that the sum of one’s parts simply won’t matter in the litmus test of the puritanical movement controlling so many of our institutions. In the end, I decided to press send so that you could please know that there are not thousands, but millions of people who think that the cancel culture and cultural Marxism of identity politics is an abomination, and can only end in violence and tragedy. I have three small children, they love everyone, and they don’t put people into boxes like the adults who have attacked you and drive the false narrative that where you were born and your DNA define you. I will never agree to such nonsense. I hope your position and salary are restored and that you are fully vindicated for speaking your mind on this blog or elsewhere, whatever your thoughts might be. Please carry on the fight against this oppression, as I hope and expect you will prevail.”
—-
“MANY thanks Kojak for your very thoughtful, courageous, and kind comment. For some reason, Bambi did not see it hidden among all the comments (apologies to you :(). She is happy to post it now! She will copy/paste it under the post about the interview with Dr. Peterson. Bambi sends her warm regards to you and to your family. She hopes your three small children are enjoying the summer :). Once again, thank you for your heart-warming support. May common sense, tolerance, unity, and love prevail in our beautiful countries. You take good care please.”
Dear Dr. [Bambi],
I hope you are doing well.
My name is Jakub, and I am writing this letter to show my support for you and voice my disapproval of Mount Allison University’s decision to suspend you without pay. Your story is really sad and heart-breaking, it resonated with me and made me feel sympathy for you which propelled me to write this letter of support.
I just listened to your interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson. Based on the interview, I think you are a well-educated, humble, and kindhearted human being. I do not think you did anything wrong and you should have your job back immediately.
As a Canadian citizen, I am absolutely appalled at the decision to suspend you without pay. The Mount Allison University president, administration, faculty and staff should be ashamed of themselves for not supporting you and not defending the right for free-speech in an academic institution where freedom of speech and thought should be protected.
Like yourself I am also an immigrant to Canada from the Middle East. Here is a bit of my life story, I was born in Bakhadida which is a small Christian village located near the City of Mosul in northern Iraq. That area is part of northern Iraq and it was taken by ISIS in 2014 until its liberation years later. My family immigrated to Canada in 2005. My family came to Canada because my parents were looking for a better life for us. After arriving to Canada, I went to high-school and then studied Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University in Ontario. I am currently working and that seems to be going well so far.
One of the unclear and vague complaints against you is that you argued that Canada is not systemically racist. I happen to agree with this idea, I do not think Canada is systemically racist country and I was really disappointed when our PM Tr[udeau] mentioned that. For example, look at my life trajectory, I came here with my family and started pretty much with from zero, and after working hard for few years, I have a job and life seems to be going relatively well so far. I know our country is not perfect, we have many problems that we can work on, however I do not think Canada is systemically racist.
It saddens me to see what is happening in our society from the erosion of free speech, the prevail of mob mentality on social media, group think, to the raise of cancel culture. I hope we can return to normalcy soon.
Finally, I hope that your interview gets more views and attention. In addition, I hope you get your job back and win your legal fight against the university. I wish you the all the best with you current dispute and future endeavors.
I will send this letter to Mount Allison University as well.
Stay strong Dr. [Bambi].
With love and support from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Jakub
Dear Jakub, Bambi is DEEPLY moved by your story; “Shoukran”/thank you for sharing it. Bravo to you/your family for making it safely to Canada and for your impressive accomplishments: Mechanical Engineering and how you positioned yourself (Bambi is glad all is well with you)! She is happy to often see her fellow immigrants having the same experience as she does. This being said, she is both grateful and honoured by your support. THANK you!!
Dear Bambi
Your interview with Dr Peterson further exposed a massive structural fault line running through Mount Allison University. My sincere thanks for bravely making a stand and not allowing these bullies to make it deeper. It is at times such as these that our true allies show their mettle, both new ones like Dr Peterson, and old friends too. Your interview with JBP was a masterclass in elegance and poise under fire, brimming with sincerity and honesty. Congratulations! I’d like to wish you continued strength in the days ahead; that these quasi-intellectuals know no rest and receive the comeuppance they deserve.
Sincerely
Keith
Kildare, Ireland
Many thanks Keith (or Mr. Crutchley) for your very kind words… all the way from Kildare, Ireland, wow! Bambi is so grateful and she sends you her warm regards from Sackville, NB.
Dear [Bambi],
Continue to show courage and fight any feeling to cower or express self-doubt. Bullies prey on this sensed weakness and especially if they are in a mob/group. They are simply cowards and loathsome bullies who are trying to make you weak and subordinate. You are much stronger than them. I hope you continue to write, teach, and truly inspire students and all people to think for themselves, be true to themselves and their beliefs, and make our country stronger without having to push down others to elevate it.
I fear for our universities and for the students who are on an assembly line of programmable robots. They will fill our country with such destruction that will devastate this once much admired country. Those in power at the schools, stop fearing your positions and those who are in your environment. Find others and make your voices heard before you become just a shell of who you really are and hide in the moral and cerebral shadows until you are too weak to muster any real thoughts and actions.
Many thanks Tom (Barrett) for taking the time to write to Bambi/Rima. Bambi appreciates your compassion, solidarity, genuine words about her, and kind wishes. THANK you! Sadly, she also shares your concerns about Canada, especially if we do not collectively stop to reflect about our values, vision for our society/country, the choices we make (or not) both in our own lives and in our institutions, the whys of our actions and their impact on people’s lives (not just on ours), the solutions, the prevention, etc. All this is called (practical) critical thinking. Without it, we stop being creative as a society. To use your own good words, we risk becoming programmable robots… and, then, life will be boring to death for all of us. THANKS again!
Dear Bambi
First of all thank you for the interview with Dr. Jordan Petersen. It left me with a feeling of a true and honest spoken conversation between two people who do not judge one another.
I would like to say that I am truly in disbelief of the treatment that your employer has given you. I hope that you will recover from this and come out on the other side stronger than ever.
I live in Denmark and my profession is being a prosecutor. In all modesty I feel like I have a fair bit of understanding of what it means to see someone being wrongfully accused. In Denmark the prosecutor must carefully listen to the defendant and their point of view before ensuring the court of the guilt of the defendant.
Sadly I am left with the impression that your employer has not taken the time to carefully listen to your point of view before engaging in legal actions. In my perspective you have never been treated fairly with the assumption of innocent until proven otherwise.
I do apologize for my grammar and any misspellings. English is not my first language.
I sincerely hope you will be treated fairly and with respect onwards.
I wish you all the best.
Kind regards,
Frederik
Dear Frederik, many thanks for listening to the interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson and for taking the time to post this very thoughtful comment. Coming from a prosecutor, it means so much! Thank you.”Tak”!
By the way, your English is outstanding! Bambi can easily recognize it, even if English is neither her first nor her second language.
Thank you for your best wishes. Kind regards back :)!
Dear Bambi,
We have never met, we probably never will. But know that someone on the other side of the Atlantic shows support for your situation.
Stay strong, even when you’re in darkness and feel alone, you are not. We are here, because we are next.
Say Hi if you’re ever in Northumberland, UK.
Hello Jamie, MANY thanks for your moving words. Same to you, please say hi when at Bambi’s end and thank you for your kind invitation to say hi when in Northumbrland, UK :).
Thank you for standing up to the mob.
MANY thanks A K.
Dear Bambi,
I have just listened to your interview with Dr. Peterson, and the part where you discussed armed men entering your class room in Lebanon to coerce you to demonstrate with them, resonated strongly with me.
I would have liked to be able to write something encouraging and uplifting but only managed to weep.
The price of standing for what I know to be true cost me dearly. And yet, I would gladly do it all over again.
Your plight and the injustice you are facing touched a raw nerve.
Take courage. For every person accusing you there are over a hundred thousand (if not millions) standing with you.
Dear Ben, Bambi is DEEPLY moved by your comment filled with humanity, solidarity, and… love. Yes, love and this is what our world needs the most. Bambi is replying particularly to your response about the scene with the armed men as well as to what she seems to understand that yourself you went through hell for standing up for what you “know to be true”. Bambi’s heart goes to you while sending you her FOND regards. You know your values and you would gladly do it again, as you wrote. How noble of you. How genuine too. MANY thanks for your beautiful last sentence about the support of so many persons. Thanks to you as well as to everyone! You take good care, please.
Dear Bambi
I watched your interview and I am sure there is nothing l can say that has already been said. No explanations and reasons are needed for me other than as a fellow sane human being to show my support and say that I am humbled, amazed and proud of your calm strength through this incident. I pray for your strength, confidence, peace, silent pain and fears and your family in this time. Justice and truth will be yours Dr. [Bambi].
Loloma Levu kei na veitokoni (much love and support) from Fiji.
`Wow, “Vinaka vakalevu” Susana from Fiji!! Bambi hopes she replied “thank you very much” to your beautiful “Loloma Levu kei na veitokoni” that warmed her heart! Bambi/Rima is honoured by your comment. Many thanks for your very kind words as well as your best wishes to Bambi and her family! Much love and gratitude back :).
Hey Dr. [Bambi],
I don’t know exactly what to say that hasn’t already said, or that I haven’t personally said to you in our email exchange back in February whenever this whole controversy came about, but I would like to say I am so glad to see someone in your position standing up for academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus.
The university administration has been doing the same thing to its students (including myself) for a long time and you sticking your neck out for yourself and for us is admirable beyond anything else.
We love you.
Hello Bloo, thank you for your continuous support and kind words. This means the world to Bambi/me: I also send my love back to you/all of you. Bambi is very sorry to hear about your own ordeal. Rising above her censorship saga or your own story or perceived experience, Bambi will say that it is both an educational and a societal tragedy what is increasingly happening at our universities… and in our societies by extension. She is talking about this intellectual rigidity and intolerance of different opinions… or shades of opinions. She believes that each one of us has a responsibility in remaining genuine in our thinking process and in our ways of expression our thoughts. For Bambi, it is not normal (or it is unhealthy) not to be able to say what we think in our private homes in the public space. Why are we doing this to ourselves?
I am an educator (secondary school) in Ontario. Prior to this, I worked at Wilfrid Laurier University. I’ve been following your story since I first heard about it, and most recently I listened to your interview with JBP.
I will be writing to Mount Allison “University” in support of you. I, too, have been speaking out about the ideologies permeating our educational institutions. There is risk in speaking up, but it seems to me the result of not speaking up is worse.
Nice to meet you Krista (Bambi/Rima saying this). Bambi thanks you for following her story and for having taken the time to listen to the interview with Dr. Jordan Peterson. She greatly appreciates your time in writing this letter of support. You are both courageous and generous. Bambi is grateful!
Hi , Just wanted to say , I heard your story from JBP interview. I hope everything goes well in your journey and thing work out for the best for you.
From Scotland !
Hello Jamie, Bambi is very touched by your kind note all the way from Scotland. Thank you!! Well, she had the chance to visit your country and fell in love with it (and no, not just because of the delicious haggis :)!)! If she can allow herself to share a silly story, she visited the Scottish Parliament where the rules for guests are clear: No applause. Well, even if Bambi is usually a polite deer, she forgot about this rule and spontaneously applauded when she heard lawmakers mentioning her birth country. They were saying something like Lebanon needed support/consideration because this tiny and vulnerable country is overwhelmed by an extremely high number of refugees. Needless to say that Bambi felt bad for applauding, saying “sorry” to the other visitors who likely thought she was a strange Canadian deer :).
I’m sorry your going through this difficult journey. Your are a brave stoic indeed !
Dear Shane (Farthing). Bambi is very grateful for your kindness and support!
Bambi received Mr. Euan Easson’s kind comment (posted on the earlier post of May 9, 2021; likely kindly also submitted before Bambi had the time to post this one).
He wrote: “Just listened to your interview with JP. Well done, you are a brave soul! It can be daunting standing up to woke people but it’s the right thing to do. You have my admiration, gratitude and respect.
Yours
Euan Easson”
Bambi replied to you, Euan, and she will repeat herself now :): “Bambi/Rima thanks you Euan (Easson) for your kind words!”
First of all Mount Allison University has no legal right to probe into Psychology Professor Rima Azar personal life her personal blog. Mount Allison University is not “a state within a state” like the military.
These soft subject intellectuals that believe they hold these powers that they do not hold are indeed a direct threat to all Western Democracies with their extreme bullying tactics.
Psychology Professor Rima Azar is also Tenured.
“Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program discontinuation” Wikipedia
The Secular Orwellian Church that Mount Allison University has become a reality. How to opposed criticisms of any kind? Well, just like the church, Mount Allison University is now an institute that promotes public shaming. If anyone disagrees with your doctrine just call that person a racist or call it a form of harassment, etc…
This is a tactic that has been described as a reverse hand grenade attack meant to stun the victim temporarily so the other party can gain power for their so-called objectives. It is not about the quest for truth and fairness nor justice. It is about the justification for mayhem and destruction of the “Humanities”.
Universities endorsing concepts like Critical Race Theory (CRT). Where have I heard this dogma being spouted before? Let me think for just one moment, the “Mischling Test”.
What Mount Allison University is doing to Psychology Professor Rima Azar is no different from the methods used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A social credit system judicial review process.
So what they are saying to Psychology Professor Rima Azar is that she will be giving the opportunity to “criticism and self-criticism”. Not the right to defend herself, she is being told to self-actualize about “equity, diversity and inclusion training” and her morality and her conduct and to reflect these findings back to this so-called committee. “Self-criticism was necessary in one-party states because it allowed for criticism without questioning the ideology. Without admitting mistakes the power would become highly inflexible. Admitting own mistakes also allows an authority to retain the position while changing the course and without looking random and unprincipled. If there are no mistakes, but there are hurdles it means all errors are in the ideology.”
https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/1894/how-did-the-chinese-self-criticism-work-in-practice
If this so-called committee feels Psychology Professor Rima Azar has reflected properly about her moral conduct, the committee might forgive her for having thought incorrectly.
This self-punishment for Psychology Professor Rima Azar is for her own good. To be able to self-actualize done through proper training and methodologies about “equity, diversity, and inclusion training” with the right outcomes. It will ensure Psychology Professor Rima Azar will not repeat her offense of critical thinking but instead, fall in line with the correct proper doctrine of critical theory.
Regardless Psychology Professor Rima Azar reputation can not ever recover from this social credit score that was imposed on by Mount Allison University is also now part of Psychology Professor Rima Azar permanent digital footprint and was done without her consent. This is also a form of character assassination of Psychology Professor Rima Azar that was perpetrated by Mount Allison University.
To technically discriminate against someone, one would have to deny someone a benefit. Let’s say suspending someone without pay. Based on denying someone the fundamental right of “freedom of expression”. This type of action in my humble opinion would be highly dubious.
I would point out to people also the costly fallout of a similar case at a selective liberal arts school in the United States at Smith College dealing with similar issues and accusations without merit.
Sincerely Demian Hammock,
BFA, Mount Allison University; Diploma of Advanced Studies, Human Resources Management, NBCC.
Many thanks, Demian for your kind and powerful comment (you have the talent of always sharing food for thought!). Bambi is always honoured to post your comments, today more than ever, and she thanks you for your continuous support!
I wrote a letter to Mount Allison. I have pasted it below.
Good morning,
I have read about the disturbing situation at Mount Allison University involving Dr. Azar. This email is written to show solidarity with Dr. Azar. As leaders of an academic institution, it seems your duty (and privilege) to uphold freedoms of thought and speech not work towards their extinction. The public smear campaign against Dr. Azar is disgraceful and your institution’s contribution to it (or silence against it, if you prefer) is a terrifying sign of times.
I support the academy, and believe it to be the key institution in free democratic societies. I believe that what happens in universities moves beyond their borders, and if well governed, this influence can have a positive impact on society at large. However, a part of academic ‘good governance’ is creating and allowing the space and freedom for thinkers to think. To think means to explore, to question, to try on, to agree, to disagree, to change one’s mind on a near infinite range of ideas. With thinking comes disagreement between thinkers and that is a beautiful thing. Really. A beautiful thing. For out of the clash of perspectives, great thought is born. If a tenured professor’s reputation can be attacked and dismantled because she expresses ideas that some oppose rather than have those ideas challenged, great thought is in peril.
I am disappointed in Mount Allison’s handling of Dr. Azar’s situation. I am terrified of Mount Allison’s abandonment of academic freedom.
Respectfully,
Anne-Marie Hanson
Dear Anne Marie Hanson, many thanks for supporting academic freedom and for taking the time to write such an elegantly written letter to my institution. I appreciate that you shared it with Bambi!
I’m fully aware of the role that the good Dr. Peterson plays in Canada’s academic media complex.. well done.
Best regards to all who dare to question the official narrative in Canada — it is noble work. There is no shame in going against the grain.
Be brave and stay safe my dear.
We’re next to you on this bumpy road.
Thank you Gabriel. Be safe too, please, whilst being lucid.
Bambi received a kind comment from Ms. Michelle Barkes. The comment of the latter appears under an earlier post (May 9, 2021) . However, since it is meant to be as reaction to this most recent post, Bambi will posted it here as well. Thank you Ms. Barkes for listening to the interview with Dr. Peterson and for your heart-warming words!
“I have just finished listening to your conversation with Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on his podcast. I am devastated to learn about what happened to you at your university. Both you and Dr. Peterson show great courage in having this conversation on the platform that he can offer. I commend you both for having having the morals and integrity to stand up in the face of evil and power. Please know that you have the full support of this Canadian citizen and you have my wish for your future success in this battle to prove your innocence”.
Ms. Michelle Barkes.
My Dear childhood friend, everyone who watches this interview will sure know who you really are. You still are what you have always been. This extremely compassionate soul who is never afraid of speaking the truth! Even when you talk about the ones who disagree with you, you agree on their right to disagree with you. This in itself is a proof that all those allegations are totally false and misplaced. It needs guts to stand for what is right, and it’s disappointing that the University didn’t react like a true “free” educational system should have done. It’s obvious you represent a threat to whatever they support unfortunately. And it’s so sad this is happening in a so-called free country. They don’t deserve a person like you! Stay strong my friend, and be assured you have my full support in your battle against injustice. Much love ❤
DEAREST Hala (to both Bambi and Rima!!). MANY thanks for your heart-warming message. Bambi is honoured to post your comment! Did your ears ring :)? Your friend mentioned you in this interview, without naming you, twice actually. First, she keeps fond memories of our last chat in December, 2019 when we recalled our school memories from the civil war era sitting on her parents’ comfortable couch :). Second, and most importantly, Bambi is still speechless by how you stood up for her and for justice in NB, Canada, from as far as Beirut, Lebanon!! You took the time out of your busy schedule, as an engineer and as a mother, to write letters of support to Bambi’s workplace and even lately to Canada’s Prime Minister’s office (which interestingly/politely replied to you). Bambi is grateful, beyond words in all languages. She loves you SO MUCH too for being such a genuine AND loyal friend! Merci mon amie… “shoukran ya sadiket el toufoulé”!! Bless your big heart and your sense of justice!
No formalities between genuine friends ? This is the least I could do, and I will always support you no matter what, and no matter how physically far we are now. Stay strong my friend! Justice will prevail in the end … ❤
Dear [Bambi], I have often reflected that you are one of the most ernest, honest and authentic people I know. I have no doubt that you would be first in line to hear someone’s experience and support them, to value their feelings and to honor them. You seek truth and you are not afraid of it. I have heard you examine your views and change your stance on issues in the past, without hesitation, when the truth of a matter became clear to you. You seek to build community and you make sacrifices for those around you. You work hard to improve the lot of all, even those who would seek to hurt you. I love that you immediately forgive, strive to understand, speak your truth and patiently endure. Shine on, my friend.
Bambi (Rima too!) is moved by your kind words, more than you can ever imagine! Thank you so much!!