A EULOGY FOR ABINTA
ONE blast of the maelstrom from the murky world of terror and she was gone. Nipped mercilessly before she could come to full bloom.
That was Abinta Kabir and she was only nineteen.
She was killed by a group of terrorists while having dinner at a Gulshan restaurant with two friends.
The anguished question we keep asking is: Why? We will never know except for the fact that they were cold blooded murderers from the cesspool of some terror organisation. But what did these poor children do to deserve this?
Abinta was born in Bangladesh to Ruba Ahmed and Ehsanul Kabir. She was their only child. She spent her early years in the United States, and later moved back to Dhaka with her mother who got involved with the family's business. Meanwhile, she acquired an American citizenship along with her father and became a dual passport holder of both Bangladesh and the United States. Abinta graduated from the American International School-Dhaka. Afterwards, she was admitted to Emory University where she was currently studying Business.
According to news reports the terrorists let all of the Bangladeshi Muslims go, but Abinta was Bangladeshi and Muslim yet she was not spared. She spoke Bangla fluently and was proud of her heritage. Her dorm room at Emory was draped with a large Bangladesh flag and a pennant written "Dhaka" hung on the wall. All she wanted, all of her life, was to be in Dhaka. Her grandfather offered her a trip to Spain this summer, but she declined, saying she only wanted to stay in Dhaka with her family and friends. Abinta was also a true Muslim. She could recite the Kalema by the time she was three years old and was very well versed with her faith. The Allahu locket she wore every day was hanging on her neck the day she died. These men judged Abinta by her appearance, and that is how we lost a wonderful human being. She was a victim of senseless killing in the name of the very religion she belonged to.
But more than that, she was kind, strong and brilliant. She has received numerous merit certificates and honours throughout her education, finishing freshman year at one of the most prestigious universities in America with an almost unheard of 3.971 GPA. She was also mature for her age. Even at this tender age, she knew what she wanted to do with her life and was very focused about her goals. She had plans of completing her education in business studies and come back home to join the family business but her dream was to open a non-profit organisation in Bangladesh to help those less fortunate than her. She wanted to open schools to educate underprivileged children as well as career centres to help adults facing difficulties to find work.
Abinta's closest friend was her mother. Whenever they were together they were inseparable, walking hand-in-hand like two close friends. When she was at school in America they would talk on the telephone at least a dozen times a day, no matter what. She is now gone leaving a hole in her mother's heart, which will never be filled again. We all loved her dearly; she was the best part of our world.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given her state honour along with the other hostages who perished in that horrible attack. President Obama sent his condolences to her mother and the Governor of Florida State called her mother to express his solidarity with her. The national flag flew half-mast in Florida State for a day. The President of Emory University called her mother to express his grief.
She had so much to look forward to and so much to give to her motherland and to the world. It is still inconceivable to those who knew and loved her that her life was snuffed out this way.
We keep asking ourselves over and over again – why such a beautiful human being would be taken away from us this way. It is a question we may never find the answer to.
The writer is Abinta's best friend since kindergarten.
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