March 5, 2019 was a day when the small city of Christchurch in New Zealand was witness to one of the most horrific acts of terrorism to have been carried out in either New Zealand or Australia: a day when the world took a collective breath when it was discovered a lone gunman, filled with hate, opened fire on two Christchurch Mosques during prayers, killing 51 people and injuring many more.
One woman who was fatally wounded, selflessly gave up her life as she returned to the Mosque to try and find her husband, Farid Ahmed; a man wheelchair bound and unable to move quickly out of harms way. Husna Ahmed had already led the women out of harms way before turning back to seek out her husband.
Her act of selflessness is celebrated in the writing of Husna’s Story and will long be remembered in the history of Christchurch, indeed the wider community all affected by this senseless act of violence.
Farid Ahmed, a man of peace, devout Muslim, homeopath and healer has followed his beloved Husna’s example of forgiveness, as he struggled to accept the horror of that day, then the resultant acceptance of losing his wife, by choosing the pathway of forgiveness as he has slowly healed, rebuilding his life and accepting the challenge of life without his beloved Husna.
His story tells of a woman who, although stubborn, often of poor health, but always accepting of a challenge, settled in a new country as a young woman of twenty years, sheltered by her family, well educated but unable to cook, speak English or drive a car.
She rose to the challenge, forging a pathway into a new world, a world in which she became a well-respected woman within her faith and the wider community, always with time and energy to offer a helping hand to someone in need.
Husna was a very human force who simply cared for all who came within her orbit with kindness and caring. As Farid retells of those terrible dark filled days, she comes alive on the pages, a woman of vibrancy and love, who offered her life in the most perfect of all love.
Over time, Farid has come to forgive the gunman; to accept that his world has changed forever and how his strong belief in his faith has shown him the pathway toward forgiveness, a pathway he believes his wife would have him choose.
The Tributes to Husna in the back of the book speak for themselves, the Forwards also present a woman loved, respected and now sadly, terribly missed. In choosing love rather than hate, Farid Ahmed hopes this can prevent further such horrors being enacted and that through their sacrifice, a better way of transforming hatred into love, so a far better world can be discovered.
Vale Husna Ahmed.
