The Bangladesh cafe where two Emory University students were killed last week was reportedly a target for terrorists because of the international crowd of western patrons it drew.
On Thursday, at Emory’s Cannon Chapel, another international crowd convened in memory of Abinta Kabir and Faraaz Hossain, two of 20 people slaughtered at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka by Islamic State attackers. Those gathered in memory of Kabir and Hossain seemed the picture of what the terrorists wanted to destroy; an interfaith group communing side by side. Women wearing hijab sat next to a man in a yarmulke. Behind them sat men in crimson Buddhist robes.
One by one, they all took turns standing behind a podium at the front of the chapel and praying for peace. But most of all, they asked that people would remember the two students at Emory’s Oxford College as people with generous spirits and who sought unity among diverse groups on campus.
“My friends have said it has rained in Dhaka every day since the attack,” said Rifat Mursalin, a classmate of Hossain’s who is from the Bangladeshi capital. “That’s not rain. Those are tears, tears of Dhaka as we mourn the lives we lost. Dhaka is sorry that it couldn’t protect it’s own and its guests.”
Services began with the Muslim call to prayer as Emory President James Wagner lit a single white candle in the front of the chapel in remembrance of those killed. Later, a group of students led by Doug Hicks, dean-elect of Emory’s Oxford College and Erika James, dean of the Goizueta Business School placed white Gerber daisies in two vases, a flower for each of those killed. Next to those, James and Hicks placed single yellow blossoms, one for Kabir and one for Hossain.
The pair were friends and had gone to Bangladesh on summer break to visit their respective families. They had gone separately to Holey Artisan Bakery, a popular evening gathering spot in Dkaha, to spend time with other friends.
Soon after they arrived, a band of militants stormed the cafe with swords, guns and explosives. Hossain, who is Muslim, was given the chance to leave the bakery but chose to stay behind because he did not want to leave Kabir and others, family members have said. The militants tortured and killed the hostages. Police killed the attackers during the standoff. The Islamic State, know as ISIS, claimed responsibility for the massacre.
But Mursalin told those gathered at the vigil that while their hearts were heavy, they should not let the reality and unpredictability of terrorism deter them from living their lives.
“Being afraid is analogous to defeat,” Mursalin said. “We must go to airports, restaurants, concerts.”
After the vigil, Wagner said that when students return in the fall there will be another vigil for Kabir and Hossain and the university will talk about a permanent memorial for the pair.
“When an incident like this happens that threatens hope, it’s important to create space to gather a greater resolve and a greater hope,” Wagner said.
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