That's the title of Rais Bhuiyan's OpEd in today's Austin American-Statesman.
When Mark Stroman walked into the gas station where I worked, I knew what was happening. He had a gun. Here we go again, another robbery, I thought. I offered him money, but he simply asked me: "Where are you from?"
"Excuse me?" I said. Then he pulled the trigger. It felt like a million stars exploding in my head. I knew I was going to die as I fell to the floor. My mother's and father's faces flashed before my eyes as I passed out.
I still don't know how I survived the attack. I just know that every day I thank God for sparing me, and I pray that I can use my second chance to make some small difference in the world. As I struggled to recover from my injuries, I realized that the shooting in the gas station was no robbery. He never even looked at the money. A muddled, ignorant and misguided man had responded to the barbaric attack on the twin towers on 9/11 by attempting to kill me because he thought I was of Middle Eastern descent.
It may sound strange, but I never hated Mark for his crime. He was ignorant — so ignorant that he picked on someone who had never been to the Middle East.
And:
I want more than anything for him to stay alive, not because I am convinced he is a good person, but because I want him to learn more about the world, more about why his actions were wrong — and to help to teach others these important lessons.
I love the great state of Texas, but it makes me mad that some of the state's elected and appointed officials want to kill Mark. He shot and tried to kill me, yet I have never wanted him to die. The family members of Mark's other victims support my personal battle to stop his execution.
So why do some of the state's elected and appointed officials think we should execute him? In whose name is this going to happen?
That is why I am taking Gov. Rick Perry to court. Perry decreed that April 10-16 would be Victims' Rights Week. "I encourage all Texans," he said, "to join in this effort by learning more about victims' rights and supporting victims of crime whenever possible. We can help our fellow Texans on the road to recovery with compassion and respect."
As a victim of a "hate crime," I had hoped to see a little of that compassion and respect. The Texas Victims' Bill of Rights says I am entitled to dignity. I have been bitterly disappointed by the legal process, which only causes me more suffering. Nobody told me what was happening at the trial; the prosecutors told the jury, "This man needs to die."
Bhuiyan's lawsuit, Bhuiyan v. Perry, is available via Scribd.
Earlier coverage of Rais Bhuiyan's campaign for compassion and a commutation for his attacker begins at the link. In the next post, I'll link the extensive coverage of his news conference, yesterday.
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