Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was only 20 years old when he was killed in the terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, but he died a man.
In his bravery and selflessness he has provided all Bangladeshis with an inspiration for generations to come and a lesson in how to live our lives.
He has shown us that grace and nobility still exist in this world and that we will not be defined by the actions of a handful of misguided and murderous youth.
As the nation wonders with horror how it could have given birth to the killers, who represent the very worst of humanity, and what it says about a society that did so, we can take comfort in the fact that Bangladesh also produced a young man like Faraaz.
It is his name and deeds that should live on, and he who we should think of when we think of that fateful night.
We cannot even imagine the pain and sorrow of his parents and other family as they mourn the death of this remarkable young man, and while nothing can ever take away their anguish at seeing his promising young life cut short so cruelly, they can at least be proud of how he died and take comfort in the knowledge that they raised him to be a true man, with the spirit of a warrior and the heart of a lion.
The terrorists offered him the opportunity to save his own life and walk away to freedom, but when they refused to let his two friends, Abinta Kabir and Tarishi Jain, leave as well, he elected to stay with them and share their fate rather than save himself.
He refused to abandon them and was found dead the next morning, alongside them, when the commandos raided the compound and brought the siege to a close.
Faraaz died a hero.
Nothing will bring him back and that is a true tragedy.
But, as the nation mourns in the aftermath of the Friday night atrocity that has shaken the faith of the entire country, we should all take pride in the fact that one such as Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain lived among us, and in this moment of shame and shock for the nation was able to show the world the best of Bangladesh and what it means to be a true Muslim.
This article first appeared on the Dhaka Tribune website.
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