A victim of 9/11 hate crime now fights for his attacker's life

Rais Bhuiyan, shot in the face
by Mark Stroman in a shooting rampage
motivated by the 9/11 attacks,
 is now leading the effort to prevent his attacker
from being executed next month in Texas.

Days after the 9/11 terror attacks, 31-year old laborer Mark Stroman went on a shooting spree in the Dallas area. In a drug-fueled mission of revenge, he killed two South Asian immigrants and shot another — Rais Bhuiyan — in the face at close range, blinding him in one eye.

Shortly after his arrest, Stroman boasted of his role as "Arab Slayer."

Now, as Stroman faces imminent execution in Texas, an unlikely champion is fighting to save his life: Bhuiyan, who spent years recovering from the wounds he suffered in the attack.

"I've had many years to grow spiritually," said Bhuiyan, a Muslim who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh and now works as technology professional in Dallas. "I'm trying to do my best not to allow the loss of another human life. I'll knock on every door possible."

Bhuiyan began collecting signatures late last year on a petition asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Stroman's death penalty sentence to life in prison without parole through his website "World without Hate." Now he is working systematically through legal and political channels to save Stroman's life.

"I'm getting a lot of support from all over the world … even my home country, where the Internet is a luxury," Bhuiyan said.

Among those supporting his cause are some relatives of the two victims who were killed.

The odds are stacked against Stroman, 41, who is held in the Texas State Penitentiary, where he is scheduled to be executed on July 20.

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Source: Today News, June 3, 2011

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