Concerning the disappointing lack of sympathy expressed by some of your contributors, concerning the desirability of housing refugees in Sully, I would like to share with your readers the very different attitudes I have witnessed here in Central Asia.

Tajikistan is on the border of Afghanistan, and has been the destination of many people fleeing the fighting and economic collapse.

Tajikistan is, and has always been, the poorest of the Central Asian republics, and people do not have a high standard of living.

Nevertheless, families here consistently take refugees into their communities, and share what they have with them until they are able to return to their homes or build new lives.

This gracious hospitality extends towards all refugees who are compelled to live here; no distinction is made between those who come because their houses were burned down, or those who come because they can no longer make a living to support their families in their country.

We might call this second group "economic migrants," but to a Tajik it's irrelevant.

A guest is a highly valued person here, considered by Muslims to be a gift from God.

There is a collective sense of responsibility for those who are away from home, and an understanding of their difficulties, which shames our reluctance to accept those less fortunate into our own community.

Visitors from different countries have much to offer, and Sully could well benefit from an increase in diversity among its population.

Shelagh Martin Humanitarian aid worker Dushanbe Tajikistan (by email)