Faraaz remembered for bravery, values

Prayers and milad mahfil for Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, who was brutally killed along with 19 other hostages in a militant attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka on July 1, 2016, were held yesterday after Asr prayers to seek salvation of the departed soul.

Family members, relatives, friends and well-wishers were present at the programme held at the residence of Latifur Rahman, maternal grandfather of Faraaz and chairman of Transcom Group. Narinda Pir Shah Syed Muradullah Ahmed administered the doa attended by eminent citizens and officials of Transcom Group.

Faraaz was the grandson of Latifur Rahman and Shahnaz Rahman. He was the son of Simeen Hossain and Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain.

During the siege at the upscale Gulshan eatery, the terrorists particularly targeted foreigners. The gunmen were looking for “infidels”, asking who could recite verses from the holy Quran and who couldn't.

Faraaz, a student of Economics at Emory University in Atlanta, US, recited from the holy Quran, and was given the chance to walk out. But he chose to stay with his friends -- Abinta Kabir, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and fellow student at Emory University, and Tarishi Jain, an Indian student at the University of California, Berkeley -- with whom he had gone to the café on the fateful night.

Faraaz was buried at Banani Graveyard on July 4.

Latifur Rahman said the values for which Faraaz was remembered with honour in and outside the country made them proud.

Meanwhile, prayers for Faraaz were also held at different places across the country yesterday.

In Tangail, a milad mahfil was held at the Tangail branch office of SKF Pharmaceuticals Limited at Shibnath Para in the town after Asr prayers.

In Noakhali, prayers were held at the regional office of Transcom at Lawyers' Colony area in the evening.

Dinajpur unit of Transcom Distribution Company Ltd organised prayers at its office in Newtown area.