In pain, in praise
In Shakespearean tragedy, “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.”
Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, the young man who sacrificed his life during the July 1 terror attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery refusing to desert his friends, is an epitome of that valiance.
Terrorists specifically targeted foreigners dining at the upscale Gulshan café. They were looking for “infidels,” taking test as to who could recite verses from the holy Quran and who couldn't. Faraaz recited from the Quran.
Faraaz, a brilliant student of Economics at Emory University in Atlanta, US, was given the choice of walking free from the café under siege. But he chose to stay on with his friends -- Abinta Kabir, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and also a student at Emory University, and Tarishi Jain, an Indian student of the University of California, Berkeley -- with whom he had gone to the café on the dreadful night.
He decided not to leave behind his friends, who wore Western clothes, paying with his life for his choice.
Today, he is revered posthumously not only at home. His valiance and sacrifice are being recognised all over the world along with a rare few, who have shown such courage at testing times.
Faraaz and four other righteous Arab and Muslim individuals of the past and present times, who struggled against persecution and terrorism and for human rights, have been honoured with the setting up of a “Garden of the Righteous” at the Italian embassy in Tunisian capital Tunis.
He is the only non-Arab Muslim who has been inducted into the Garden for standing up against the current spate of terrorism in the name of jihad that Bangladesh and the world as a whole facing today.
A non-profit Milan-based organisation -- the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide (GARIWO) -- with cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, took the initiative to set up the first Garden of the Righteous in an Arab country on July 15. The garden hosts trees and memorial stones dedicated to five righteous Arab and non-Arab Muslim individuals, including Faraaz.
The tree dedicated to Faraaz bears the inscription: "In Dhaka he chose not to leave his friends and was murdered by the terrorists."
The Committee for the GARIWO started work in Milan in 1999 and was officially formed in 2001. It is chaired by Gabriele Nissim, a historian.
Chairman Gabriele Nissim, Italian Ambassador in Tunis Raimondo De Cardona and President of the Tunisian League of Human Rights and a 2015 Nobel Laureate Abdessatar Ben Moussa inaugurated the Garden of the Righteous on July 15.
The other four who have been honoured are: world famous Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, Tunisian tourist guide Mohammed Nasseur ben Adesslem Hamadi, Tunisian street vendor Tarek el-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi and Tunisian entrepreneur Khaled Abdul Wahab.
Khaled al-Asaad was slaughtered by IS in 2015 for defending in Syria the archaeological heritage of Palmyra, memory of the human civilisation.
With his bravery, Hamadi rescued Italian tourists during the terror attack against the Bardo Museum on 18 March 2015.
In the face of police abuse, Bouazizi immolated himself in 2010 to defend human dignity, giving birth of the Jasmine Revolution and the “Spring” in the Arab world.
Wahab saved in Mahdia the Jews persecuted in Tunisia during Nazi occupation in 1942.
On behalf of the Mayor of Milan and people of the town, President of the City Council Lamberto Bertolè paid tribute to the memory of Faraaz Hossain.
The sacrifice of Faraaz, “setting an example for the entire world”, was remembered by Bertolè through the moving words sent by Simeen Hossain, the mother of the young Bangladeshi student.
In a letter, she wrote, "On July 1st, our son Faraaz was most brutally taken away from us by a few inhuman terrorists. His decision to stay and protect his friends he held so dear to him transcends all boundaries of race, religion or gender. He acted purely on his unshakable values.
"He had always felt responsible for those around him taking it as his duty to protect those he loved. These are the values Faraaz had instilled in himself, believing first and foremost that one must be, above all, a good human being."
Filled with spirit, living every moment with a glowing smile, and exemplifying the best of youth, Faraaz was a gem of a human being, said the bereaved mother.
"He always cared about others, making sure his actions would make those around him happy.
"Our son, Faraaz, has set an example for the world with his bravery to stand strong in the face of evil. Our innate admiration for this little boy comes out of the fact that he made us question ourselves, he made us think whether we would have the courage to make the decision he did while being aware of its consequences. We salute you for setting an example for the world to follow. Faraaz, you have always wanted to make me a proud mother; today you have made me the proudest mother in the whole world."
Faraaz was the grandson of Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group, and Shahnaz Rahman. He was the son of Simeen Hossain and Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain. He was a student at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and dazzled those he worked with during his internships at Transcom and Pepsico.
In a recent newspaper column, veteran Indian journalist and columnist Kuldip Nayar said, "I am confident that people would name their sons and statues after him, not only in Bangladesh but also in India and elsewhere."
The Tunis inauguration of the Garden of the Righteous was held within a few hours after the massacre in Nice, France.
The ceremony was opened on the notes of the French national anthem Marseillaise and one minute's silence was observed in memory of the victims hit by an attacker from Sousse, the Tunisian seaside village, which was the scene of a savage terror attack in June 2015.
“After the massacre in Nice, in the face of those who sow terror and pitilessly murder hundreds people, we celebrate the Arab and Muslim Righteous who love the human plurality, peace, dialogue among the peoples and cultures," said Gabriele Nissim.
“The creation of this Garden retains a particular meaning, as it occurs for the first time on the Southern shore of the Mediterranean, in a Muslim country that has embraced the challenge of democracy and in which the rule of law affirmed itself in the defence of the individuals,” pointed out Ambassador Raimondo De Cardona.
Abdessatar Ben Moussa expressed his gratitude to GARIWO and Nissim for the creation of a Garden dedicated to the Righteous and Muslims and described it as “a beautiful idea in a difficult moment marked by terrorism”.
Full text of the letter from Simeen Hossain
On July 1st, our son Faraaz, was most brutally taken away from us by a few inhuman terrorists. His decision, to stay and protect his friends he held so dear to him transcends all boundaries of race, religion or gender. He acted purely on his unshakable values. He had always felt responsible for those around him taking it as his duty to protect those he loved. These are the values Faraaz had instilled in himself, believing first and foremost that one must be, above all,a good human being.
Filled with spirit, living every moment with a glowing smile, and exemplifying the best of youth, Faraaz was a gem of a human being. He always cared about others, making sure his actions would make those around him happy. He was a superstar student at Emory University's Goizueta Business School and dazzled those he worked with in his internships at Transcom and Pepsico. He touched the hearts of every person he interacted with and proved to be a born leader in anything he took up. Above all he remained a righteous human being till his last breath. Having an extremely clear sense of right and wrong, he stood by what he believed was right with every ounce of strength.
Our son, Faraaz, has set an example for the world with his bravery to stand strong in the face of evil. Our innate admiration for this little boy comes out of the fact that he made us question ourselves, he made us think whether we would have the courage to make the decision he did while being aware of its consequences.
WE salute you for setting an example for the world to follow. Faraaz, you have always wanted to make me a proud mother; today you have made me the proudest mother in the whole world.
You have filled our hearts with immense pride and strength; you have instilled in us a fearlessness that we never knew existed. You have given us a reason to spend the rest of our lives fighting for what you stood for. You always said you'd show the world. I just want you to know you have done so beyond our wildest imagination.
We ALL love you IMMENSELY Faraaz.
Your proud mother, whom you have deeply humbled by your act of bravery.
Simeen Hossain
(MD and CEO, Eskayef)
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