On the occasion of the international day ‘Cities for Life – Cities against the Death Penalty’ on November 30 Rais Bhuiyan will be coming to Belgium. He was a victim of anti-Muslim violence, but as a faithful Muslim he advocates for forgiveness and restorative justice.
Rais Bhuiyan, born in Bangladesh and an Air Force pilot, went to the US to study computer science. Mark Stroman, who lost his sister after the attacks of nine eleven was out for revenge and shot Bhuiyan a few days later in the face. Earlier, Stroman who was a member of the racist organization Aryan Brotherhood had already killed a Pakistani and an Indian.
As a faithful Muslim, Bhuiyan not only succeeded in forgiving his attacker, but he even made every effort to avoid Stroman’s execution. On July 21, 2011 Stroman nevertheless was put to death, but Bhuiyan still continues his battle to show that it is possible to live together in peace and friendship, even if people have different beliefs.
Nowadays, he therefore is committed to the defence of human rights and the campaign for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States and around the world. He has set up his own foundation “World without hate” and collaborates with various organizations such as the Community of Sant’Egidio and Amnesty International.
The conference is organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio together with Amnesty International Belgium and Action des chrétiens pour l’
The conference will be in English and will be followed by a drink. Please click here for more information.