‘Strength to forgive’: 9/11 hate crime survivor working to curb violence and hatred

Updated: Sep 18, 2021 / 08:56 PM CDT

CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Rais Bhuiyan was shot at point-blank range shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks by a white supremacist who was on a killing spree targeting Muslims.

Bhuiyan, an immigrant to the U.S. from Bangladesh, was working behind the counter at a gas station in Texas when he was shot in the face by Mark Stroman.

Bhuiyan survived but still has shotgun pellets in his face and is blind in one eye.

Since the attack, Bhuyan continues to spread a message of peace, empathy and forgiveness with the nonprofit organization he founded, World Without Hate.

“After I got my life back, I thought about my parents’ teaching and what my Islamic faith taught me. And my upbringing and Islamic faith gave me the courage and the strength to forgive my attacker, and I had to go through a healing process,” Bhuiyan told NewsNation.

Watch the full interview in the media player above.