The Bangladeshi American is the founder of World Without Hate.
By Raif Karerat
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WASHINGTON, DC: Distinguished members from the government and non-profit sectors gathered together earlier this month to hear from Rais Bhuiyan, the 9/11-hate crime victim turned celebrated peace activist. Approximately twenty guests assembled at Washington, D.C.’s famed Bombay Club over dinner to meet Bhuiyan and learn about his work promoting reconciliation, compassion, and interfaith dialogue.
Ronak D. Desai, a prominent Washington attorney, organized the dinner for Buiyan, while the Texas-based law firm of Vinson & Elkins sponsored the event. The firm was represented by V&E senior lawyer, Shaun Mathew, a friend of Bhuiyan and Desai.
Guests at the dinner included senior officials from the White House, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, Capitol Hill, as well as from leading non-profit organizations, including the Hindu America Foundation, the Satyarthi Foundation, Ashoka, and Pratham. Earlier that day, Sachin Malhan, Executive Partner at Ashoka Changemakers, hosted Bhuiyan at the organization’s Virginia offices for a brown bag lunch.
Desai began the evening by thanking the guests for attending and expressing his delight that such a diverse and high caliber group of individuals was able to meet with Bhuiyan. Mathew formally introduced the guest of honor and invited him to share his story with those present.
Bhuiyan, a Bangladeshi American IT professional based in Dallas, was shot in the face by self-proclaimed “Arab slayer” Mark Stroman ten days after 9/11. Motivated by a desire to avenge the September 11, 2011 attacks, Stroman went on a shooting spree throughout the Dallas area, targeting individuals he mistook for Arabs. Prior to shooting Bhuiyan, Stroman shot and killed Vasudev Patel, a Hindu immigrant from India, and Waqar Hasan, a Muslim immigrant originally from Pakistan, in separate incidents. After his capture, Stroman was tried, convicted, and ultimately sentenced to death.
Bhuiyan relayed to the dinner guests how the violent attack left him partially blind in one eye, destitute, and traumatized. His recovery included years of painful surgeries and hundreds of hours of physical and mental rehabilitation. Dozens of shotgun pellets remain permanently lodged in his face.
In the aftermath of the attack, Bhuiyan shocked those around him by not only publicly forgiving Stroman for trying to murder him, but organizing a campaign to prevent his execution. When asked why he would seek to the save the life of the man who tried to end his own, Bhuiyan explained to the attendees that his upbringing and faith had impressed upon him the power and value of forgiveness, compassion, and empathy. Rather than viewing his ordeal as a tragedy, Bhuiyan viewed it as an opportunity to help eradicate ignorance and hatred and foster cultural understanding and interfaith dialogue.
Toward this end, Bhuiyan embarked on an exhaustive campaign to save Stroman’s life, laboring through the legal system to file appeals on his attacker’s behalf. Collaborating with Amnesty International, other organizations, and Stroman’s attorneys, Bhuiyan worked tirelessly to stop the execution. His efforts ultimately prompted Stroman to repudiate his white supremacist beliefs and seek Bhuiyan’s forgiveness.
Although he was unable to convince Texas to grant the reprieve, Bhuiyan and Stroman spoke briefly before the scheduled execution. Bhuiyan told the attendees how Stroman thanked him for all he had done to help save his life and ended the eight second phone call by telling Bhuiyan that he loved him.
Bhuiyan also told the attendees about the organization he founded in the wake of the attack and subsequent campaign to save Stroman from capital punishment, World Without Hate. He explained that the foundation’s mission was “to cultivate restorative forgiveness, radical empathy and nonviolent compassionate action through education, community outreach and advocacy.”
The young Bangladeshi-American’s extraordinary experience and groundbreaking work have catapulted him to international prominence. He is the subject of a bestselling book authored by Anand Giriharidas, The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas, which was published last year. Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow has signed on to direct a film about Bhuiyan and his story, which is set for release sometime in the future.
Bhuiyan’s impact on the attendees was palpable, with all those in attendance visibly moved. Desai described him as an “inspiration through example,” while Mathew noted that deeming him “remarkable” was an understatement that would not do justice for all Bhuiyan represented.
Following Bhuiyan’s brief remarks, the attendees engaged in a robust discussion about the applicability of his work to other contexts, both nationally and internationally. They exchanged ideas on how to render his efforts more effective, focused, and far-reaching. The conversation touched upon key questions regarding the role the government and non-profit worlds could play in strengthening Bhuiyan’s goal to foster sustainable, durable change.
Desai characterized the dinner as a resounding success and as an “important opportunity for some of the most influential stakeholders in the nation’s capital to engage with Bhuiyan and learn more about his invaluable work.” He expressed his gratitude toward Mathew for bringing Bhuiyan to Washington, D.C., and praised Vinson & Elkins for its demonstrated commitment to diversity, leadership, and change. “V&E is a leader in these arenas, so it is unsurprising that it played such an active role in helping bring Bhuiyan’s message to D.C.,” Desai noted. He said he looked forward to bringing Bhuiyan back to the District in the near future.
Bhuiyan will return to Washington, D.C., on October 10, 2015 to attend a South Asian Philanthropy Conference.