Sara Qasem

Guest writer

Sara Qasem is a Palestinian poet, community advocate and educator based in Ōtautahi. Her work explores memory, diaspora and resistance, and has been published and performed across Aotearoa, centring the stories of her community while writing toward the places where grief and resilience meet.

Sara Qasem and her father, Abdelfattah Qasem

March 15 taught me how to read the world

The day of March 15 never ended for Sara Qasem, who lost her father in the Christchurch mosque attacks. On the seventh anniversary, she writes about how that day changed the way she reads the world.

By Sara Qasem | 15th March, 2026

The author and family through the years

Indifference is consent: An essay about Palestine and New Zealand

'That’s what we do as Palestinians – we turn grief into fuel and feed others with what little we have left.'

By Sara Qasem | 23rd August, 2025

Sara Qasem and her Dad, Abdelfattah Qasem. Photo: Supplied.

A grief beyond words

Sara Qasem, who lost her father Abdelfattah Qasem in the March 15 terror attacks, shares why she has chosen this moment to speak up against hate.

By Sara Qasem | 31st August, 2021