They argued Everyone knows that he was born in Balkh and then moved to Konya. Suhrab Sirat, a renowned Afghan poet, wrote a long post, quoting a couplet from Mathnawi

I come from Balkh, I come from Balkh, I come from Balkh A world rejoices my bitterness. . . Many other Facebook users also cited the same couplet of Mathnawi as proof he belongs to Balkh, Afghanistan.