Karim-Aly Kassam addresses recent Taliban gunmen attack
Dr. Kassam spoke about the loss of his sister Zeenab Kassam who was a Calgary aid worker in Kabul, Afghanistan
Kaity Brown
News Editor
On March 27, Karim-Aly Kassam came to Mount Royal University and addressed the recent loss of his sister in Afghanistan.
Zeenab Kassam was killed when the Serena Hotel in Kabul was attacked by Taliban gunmen. Zeenab was 57 years old and was an aid worker who dedicated her life to helping those in need in Afghanistan.
Dr. Kassam emphasized the importance of what Zeenab was doing — she taught men and women, and furthered human communication and mutual understanding.
She had been volunteering for over a year teaching English through a program called the Aga Khan Foundation.
Her death will not be in vain, said Kassam.
“We have a message to those who hide in the shadows. You have wounded us, but you have not intimidated us. You never will,” said Kassam.
However, he said that there is no animosity towards those in Afghanistan. Many, he said, are mourning the loss of the nine lives sacrificed in the attack, including the loss of his sister.
He said that his sister would not have been there if she did not believe that what she was doing was something that would improve the future.
Before ending his speech, Kassam shared a verse from the Quran which he said was also echoed in other religious texts such as Judaism and Christianity: “If anyone slays a person, it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”