Twenty people, including 17 foreigners, were gunned down at Holey Artisan Bakery, Dhaka. An anti-terrorism court sentenced seven people to death, reports Tabassum from Dhaka. An exclusive for Different Truths.

“What separates us from the animals, what separates us from the chaos, is our ability to mourn people we’ve never met.”

~ David Levithan, Love Is the Higher Law

 An anti-terrorism court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has sentenced seven people to death in connection with the deadly siege of a posh café , Holey Artisan Bakery, on November 27th, 2019. Twenty people were killed after shooters stormed the café in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on July 1st, 2016, in an attack that drew global condemnation. The victims included 17 foreigners.

Two of the convicts were seen wearing prayer caps with insignia of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) group.

Bangladesh Government showed a zero-tolerance stance against militancy and terrorism. This verdict is a historical one.

Bangladesh Government showed a zero-tolerance stance against militancy and terrorism. This verdict is a historical one. Th controversy about two convicts wearing prayer cap with ISIL/ISIS symbols failed to die down. From social media to the leading streamline media, there has been a storm. How did the convicts get hold of the caps? The security breach is a matter of grave concern. By wearing those caps, what message was given?

Three years have passed. Seventeen foreigners have died. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, and one Indian citizen lost their lives. And three Bangladeshi. Many of the Italians reportedly worked in the garment industry. The Japanese were consultants for the Japan Foreign aid agency. And the Indian, Tarashi Jain, came to visit Bangladesh.

After three years, we don’t see many flower bouquet and candles at the Holy Artisan premises to pay tribute to the deceased. We need to remember them, mourn them. Remembering them on July 1st in newspaper tributes, in TV talk shows are not enough.

These people were working for Bangladesh. After three years, we don’t see many flower bouquet and candles at the Holy Artisan premises to pay tribute to the

deceased. We need to remember them, mourn them. Remembering them on July 1st in newspaper tributes, in TV talk shows are not enough. We showed them respect by holding a ceremony for the repatriation of the bodies to Italian, Indian, and Japanese representatives of the government. The victim’s coffins were covered with the National flag of Bangladesh. It is not enough. Let us mourn for the victims as long as Bangladesh exists.

The government should build a monument to mourn and cherish the Bangladeshis and those innocent foreigners, who came here for our sake and died mercilessly. Let us and the generations to come to mourn and to remember the victims. Let there be a place for them to commemorate their memory.

Let us turn our grief into strength. With this strength, we can move forward to show zero tolerance to terrorism and to be cautious enough to avoid all kinds of propaganda by fundamentalist groups.

Let a school going child ask his mother why this monument stands and what happened. Let us turn our grief into strength. With this strength, we can move forward to show zero tolerance to terrorism and to be cautious enough to avoid all kinds of propaganda by fundamentalist groups. Let this monument be our symbol against terrorism and inspiration to not to fall into the trap like the ISIS/ISIL cap scandal to take shift away from our success against terrorism.

Photos sourced by the author