During this
month of April, I am fasting with my Muslim husband, even though I myself am
not Muslim. I do it, despite the 100 degree heat, despite the caffeine
withdrawal headaches I get, despite the constant grumblings of my stomach. I do it because I love him and respect him,
and I personally feel that it would be insensitive for me to eat in front of him while he is fasting.
Many people around the world have very
little knowledge about Islam and its teachings. So I thought I would share a
real life example of what being a Muslim is during this holy month of Ramadan. What follows is the true story of a man who
lives his religion through his actions. This
is the REAL Islam.
In 2001, Rais Bhuiyan was a 28 year old Dallas resident, an immigrant from Bangladesh. He had
been an officer in the Bangladesh Air Force and then found himself studying
computer technology in New York City. He
later moved to Dallas at the urging of a friend who offered him a partnership
in his gas station.
Mark Stroman, also of Dallas, was a 31 year old lifelong career criminal, meth addict and a white
supremacist. After the 9/11 attacks,
Stroman decided to take revenge and went out armed with the intent of killing
any Arab/Muslim looking men he came upon, targeting convenience stores. He murdered 46 year old Waqar Hasan, a Pakistani immigrant, in a grocery
store.
A few days
later (10 days after 9/11) Stroman again went out looking for revenge at a gas station convenience
store in Dallas. Rais Bhuiyan was
working behind the counter. Stroman
raised his shotgun, shot Bhuiyan in the
face, and fled. Bhuiyan was severely injured but still alive. A couple of weeks
later, Stroman shot and killed an Indian immigrant, Vasudev Patel, age 49, in
nearby Mesquite, TX. Patel was not even
Muslim; he was Hindu. Not one of these three men were Arabs either.
Fortunately
Stroman was soon captured. From his jail cell, he proudly spoke to news stations
about what a great patriot he was for exacting his revenge on Muslims –
innocent Muslims who had nothing at all to do with the events of 9/11. Stroman was tried for murder, was found
guilty, and was sentenced to death.
Meanwhile
Bhuiyan was bankrupted and left deep in debt from his medical bills. He had to
endure countless surgeries and permanently lost the sight in one of his eyes.
He still lives with over 35 pellets in his face to this day.
Forgiveness
is a major teaching of Islam. Islam also says that saving one human life is the
same as saving all of mankind. So despite all the pain and hardships Bhuiyan
had endured, he chose to forgive Stroman for what he had done. But not only
that, Bhuiyan also took up the cause to save Stroman from the death penalty,
filing a lawsuit to try to stop the execution.
Because of
Bhuiyan’s actions, Stroman finally expressed his remorse over what he had done.
However Bhuiyan’s attempt to save his attacker failed. Stroman was executed in
2011. A documentary film called “An Eyefor an Eye” was released in 2016 about this tragic true story.
Before his
death, Stroman was quoted as saying “I have the Islamic Community joining in my legal defence, spearheaded
by one very remarkable man named Rais Bhuiyan, who is a survivor of my hate.
His deep Islamic beliefs gave him the strength to forgive the unforgiveable.
That is truly inspiring to me and should be an example for us all. The hate has to stop. We are all in this
world together.”Leading by example, Rais Bhuiyan today works to make this world a better place for everyone and trying to save mankind in his own way. He started his own non-profit organization called World Without Hate, spreading his message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Sources:
Rais Bhuiyan, American: If someone shot you in the face and left you for dea, would you try to save his life? Esquire Magazine article, Dec 2011
20 Years After a White Supremacist Almost Killed Him, He's Dedicated His Life to Changing Hearts
Rais Bhuiyan - Wikipedia
Mark Anthony Stroman - Wikipedia
.jpg)
.jpg)
