Speaking after the assembly, Abdullah, who bears a deep scar between his eyes from a piece of glass that hit him when his family home was bombed, wants people to open their eyes to what is going on around them.
"People in places like Afghanistan die every day from hunger, disease and bombing.
"My country is conquered by the Taleban. I used to dream of going back there to rebuild my country but my dreams have been shattered."
The teenager hopes New Zealanders will be tolerant but he fears some are not - when he and his family visited their mosque to pray last week many of the cars parked outside were damaged.
"That morning I got up and saw what happened in America and I cried. It reminded me of my country. Afghanistan used to be the most beautiful country in the world. Now you don't see a building standing without bullet holes in it."
Pictures: Day 1 | Day 2
Emergency telephone numbers for friends and family of victims and survivors
: 0168 1800 932 8555
: 0168 1800 245 0999
: 0800 872 111
US Embassy in Wellington (recorded info): 04 472 2068
