Words Thomas Stichbury
Looking down at his hands, head slightly bowed, Mazharul Islam tells us he does not deserve an Attitude Pride Award. That honour, he says, should be bestowed on his late friends, Xulhaz Mannan and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy. They were hacked to death by machete-wielding Islamic militants posing as couriers at Xulhaz’s apartment in Bangladesh in 2016.
“They deserve this award,” he says soberly.