Remembering the Unsung Heroes this Eid
The target of the attackers at the Holy Artisan Bakery in Dhaka were primarily foreigners, but there were two Bangladeshi Muslims among the 28 dead whose courage in the face of death was the hallmark of their life – and showed the world what a true Muslim or more than that being human is. Today, on Eid we salute these unsung heroes.
The Young Braveheart – Faraaz Hossain
Emory student Faraaz Hossain was one of the victims of the Dhaka terrorist attack. Due to his Bangladeshi descent he was given the chance to leave the bakery unarmed – but spurned his hostage takers’ offer to walk free and decided to stay and die with his two female friends instead, who were not given the same opportunity. He and Abinta Kabir, 18, who was also enrolled at Emory, and Berkeley student Tarishi Jain, 19, were among the 20 people hacked to death inside the blood stained cafe.
A Woman of Mettle – Ishrat Akhond
Ishrat Akhond, 45, fondly called “Nila” by her family and friends, was the Human Resources Director of one of Bangladesh’s largest garments manufacturing company — ZXY International FZCO. On the fateful Friday evening she had gone with two Italian designers who were visiting the country. When asked to recite the Quran, she refused to do so as she didn’t need to prove her religion and her not wearing a hijab led to the terrorists hacking her to death. Her friends said that courage was a part of the same unbending principles that came to symbolise “Nila Apu” in Bangladesh’s social and cultural circuits, and also her business career.
Saluting their courage, Here and Now 365‘s Managing Director Manish Tiwari said: “These two young people have shown how to uphold the true values of being Muslim. While we are celebrating Eid, it is everyone’s duty to honour those who are true role models, and the media and governments around the world should recognise their valour as this is the way to defeat terrorists.”
