The Bangladeshi Café Defying Terror
Here at Ummahsonic, we’ve noticed that it is the incredible stories of humanity in the face of terror that resonate most deeply following a terrorist attack.
Last week, the Bangladesh café which was the scene of a horrific attack in July 2016 quietly reopened in Dhaka.
The violent siege left 28 people dead, including 20 hostages. Bangladeshi authorities say the jihadists who held the siege were members of a homegrown Bangladeshi militant outfit. They have dismissed Daesh’s claim to the attack.
The incident attracted worldwide attention and condemnation; we all remember the horrible details being splashed across the news in the days that followed.
Reports say that during the overnight siege, the jihadists tested the hostages’ knowledge of the Quran, killing people whose answers did not satisfy them. This was the kind of attack that traumatised not only the people present, but people across Bangladesh and many of us across the world as we watched on.
But here at Ummahsonic towers we are pleased to report that the café is now fighting back by reopening its doors, sending a powerful and inspiring message to the world: the terrorists have not won.
Some of the people working in the café are the same staff members that experienced that horrendous night. A few of them spoke to the Guardian about the reopening of the Holey Artisan Bakery and the hope and new beginning it represents.
“This is beautiful to come back here with all my dearest colleagues,” Ahmed told a Guardian journalist. “Our old, familiar guests are coming and congratulating us, congratulating from their hearts.”
One of its owners, Sadat Mehedi, says: “We have the same spirit. It’s heartening that our tables are full… [the reopening of the restaurant is] all about hope and aspiration to start again, to keep the spirit up.”
This incredibly inspiring story is an example to us all. The staff who experienced a frightening ordeal are not giving into terror or threats, but are showing strength and resolve.
As the café reopens and staff serve cappuccinos just as they did before last July’s attack, they Holey Artisan Bakery becomes a symbol of hope for countless people around the world.
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