Apropos of our discussion of the death penalty, many families of the victims, or the victims themselves, have come out against the death penalty for their attackers. In the days after 9/11, Mark Stroman shot Rais Bhuiyan in the face because Bhuiyan was an immigrant. Ten years later, Bhuiyan wanted to tell him why he forgave him:
In November 2009, [Bhuiyan] took a trip to Mecca with his mother. It was a Hajj, a pilgrimage. They stayed for a month, praying almost all day every day, purifying. In the quiet time, he sat and thought about his life, the chance encounter all those years ago, and the man who had taken his eye. Rais Bhuiyan felt his heart soften; he felt the pouring forth of something warm, something invigorating. He felt something leaving his body. He felt forgiveness. What had been pure fear, pent up for years, was now compassion. He didn’t hate Mark Stroman. He pitied him. Thinking of this man sitting in a prison cell, counting down the days he has left on this planet, he wondered if he could help him in some way. He remembered what the prosecutor had told him, and he didn’t want to break the law, but Bhuiyan wanted to talk with the man. He wanted to tell the monster haunting his dreams that he had forgiven him.
Texas refused Bhuiyan's request to meet with Stroman or stay his death penalty sentence. They executed him on July 20th. This week's discussions of the death penalty and redemption here and here.
The Dish 