Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was a 20-year-old Bangladeshi Muslim who was murdered in the July 2016 Dhaka attack. He was the grandson of Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group and Shahnaz Rahman. Faraaz was the younger child of Simeen and Muhammad Waquer. He was studying undergraduate at the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and came to Dhaka in mid May to spend his summer holidays.

Education

Faraaz Hossain started his school at the age of three, at Sir John Wilson, Dhaka and studied there until class 2. Then he went on to join the American International School of Dhaka and graduated in 2014. For higher education Faraaz went on to Emory University in Atlanta in August 2014, where he would then be admitted into Emory's Goizueta Business School. In school at class 5 he received US President's (George W Bush) Education Award for outstanding academic excellence.

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain

Recognition

Mother Teresa Award

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award in 2016 because of his bravery, as a Bangladeshi and a Muslim he was not the terrorists' target, but he refused to abandon his two friends at the restaurant.

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain

Hossain is the first person to be conferred the award posthumously. Faraaz's mother and elder brother Zaraif received the award on his behalf at a ceremony at Mumbai, India.

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain

Garden of the Righteous in Tunisia

On 15 July 2016, a tree was planted to honour Hossain in the Garden of the Righteous Worldwide, located inside the Italian Embassy in Tunis. The Garden was set up by a non-profit Milan-based organisation with co-operation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy. It hosts trees and memorial stones dedicated to righteous Muslim individuals who saved human lives during genocides or massacres and fought against fanaticism.

Faraaz Hossain Courage Award

PepsiCo has taken the decision to launch the annual Faraaz Hossain Courage Award from 2016, to be awarded each year for twenty years. The purpose of the award is to recognize acts of exceptional courage by individuals setting examples of empathy for fellow human beings, to encourage the spirit of bravery among Bangladeshi youth.

In popular culture

2019 Bangladeshi-German-Russian co-production film Shonibar Bikel visualise the catastrophic event. 2022 Indian film Faraaz depict him.

See also

July 2016 Dhaka attack

References

1996 births

2016 deaths

Bangladeshi murder victims

People murdered in Dhaka

Deaths by firearm in Bangladesh

Emory University alumni