Reader's Share: A Story of Forgiveness - Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian

This story was shared with me this week by a teacher & friend of mine in working towards equity with the message: “What kind of “work” are we really doing and what are we wiling to give…”

In the video, Rais Bhuiyan recalls the story of how he became a victim of a hate crime after the events of September 11th, 2001. He recounts how he survived his attack and went on to advocate for clemency for his attacker, who had been placed on death row.

Mark Stroman, the person who attacked Rais Bhuiyan was executed in 2011. Here’s a news story from 2011 discussing Rais’s story and campaign to save the life of Mark Stroman:

Sometimes, when we feel as if we’ve been wronged in some way, in our response in an attempt to “right” that wrong, we can sometimes find ourselves doing the exact wrong thing that was done to us to someone else.

“Hate doesn’t bring a peaceful solution to any situation. Hate only brings fear, misery, resentment and disaster into human lives. It creates obstacles to healthy human growth, which, in turn, diminishes society as a whole….Hating others can never being peace, and lasting satisfaction.”—Rais Bhuiyan

Forgiveness and compassion are traits of the strong. What a powerful story.

To learn more about Rais and his efforts to work against hate and to end the cycle of violence, you can visit his website at World Without Hate.Org

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins, MSW

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