This Muslim Fought to Save his Attacker’s Life – Rais Bhuiyan (English)

The Clear Evidence

Mark Stroman went on a shooting rampage, intending to kill as many Muslims as possible as an act of retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He killed Waqar Hasan, a man from Pakistan, and also shot and killed an Indian man, Vasudev Patel. On September 21, 2001, he shot another victim in the face.

As a child, my impression of the USA was that it was a great and beautiful country. I grew up watching Western movies like For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It was my dream to one day visit the Wild West and see it for myself. After graduating from a military school in Bangladesh, I moved to Dallas and immediately fell in love with the city. I worked hard, and within a month, I had a job as a clerk in a gas station, which allowed me to get to know the people and understand the culture.

I moved to Dallas in May 2001, just three months before the 9/11 attacks. Ten days after the attacks, while working behind the counter, a customer walked in holding a double-barrel shotgun and pointed it at my face. I pleaded, “Sir, here’s all the money, please do not shoot me.” He mumbled something, asking, “Where are you from?” Confused, I responded, “Excuse me?” The moment I said that, he pulled the trigger.

I felt an intense force, like a million bees stinging my face, followed by an explosion. Frantically, I placed both palms on my head, fearing my brain would spill out. I thought my time was up. Images of my mother, father, siblings, and fiancée flashed before me. I begged God not to take me that day.

Mark Stroman, a white supremacist, had gone on a shooting spree, targeting clerks he thought were Muslims. Two of his victims died. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

In 2009, I went on the Hajj pilgrimage with my mother. During our journey, she wept as she touched my face and prayed to God, asking for guidance in whatever path I chose. My faith in Islam teaches that saving a life is like saving all of humanity. Though Stroman had committed a heinous crime, my beliefs and the values instilled in me led me to do the right thing.

For nearly ten years, Mark Stroman was on death row. Despite my injuries and the permanent loss of vision in one eye, I was not interested in revenge. I sought clemency for him, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. federal court, and the Texas state court. I forgave him for what he had done.

Stroman later wrote me a letter in which he acknowledged that he had learned the wrong lessons in life from his stepfather. He told me he was trying to unlearn those lessons and praised my parents for raising me to act with such compassion. On the day of his execution, he listed my name as one of the people he wanted to speak to. When I answered the phone, I told him, “Mark, you should know that I never hated you. I forgave you.” He replied, “Rais, I love you, bro.”

The same man who had once been consumed with hatred and ignorance had, in the end, seen me as a human being. He was able to say that he loved me and called me his brother.

Today, I am the founder and president of World Without Hate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people about the transformational power of mercy and forgiveness. My hope is that we can build a better world—a world without violence, without victims, and without hate.

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