A man who was racially abused by a homeless person responded by getting his attacker a job and somewhere to live.
Aminur Chowdhury from Bradford was racially abused by Ben Gallon, but instead of insulting him back, he decided to engage in conversation by inviting the homeless man for a drink.
Mr Chowdury said: “Initially I turned the other cheek but then I was challenging Ben about what he had said to me, I stopped and had a chat with him for about 15 minutes.”
After speaking to Ben, Mr Chowdury said he could help him find a job and the pair exchanged contact details. At first, Ben thought he was only being polite about the job offer but he says he got a call from him the next day with a job interview.
He said: “The next day he gave me a call, said ‘can I come pick you up Ben, I’ve got an interview for you’. That same day, he came round to get me, drove me down to the place on Canal Road and then within ten minutes I had been offered the job.”
Mr Chowdury’s determination to help Ben did not stop there; he also assisted him in finding an apartment to rent in Bradford.
Ben regretting his actions said: “There was no justification for me using those words. Kudos to him for forgiving me, I regret it. A positive thing has happened out of this situation.
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“I’ve learned my lesson. What I said was completely out of character for me, I’m not a racist. Things are starting to look up for me. I’ve started the job and it’s fantastic.”
Mr Chowdury explained that his belief in tolerance is what made him respond in that way.
“I was targeted for racist abuse but a great way of overcoming racism is to show some tolerance. I realise I can’t put the world to rights but I can try to educate people.
“This is a great way of teaching Asian people across Bradford of how to respond to racism. The more love you show, the more endeared they will be to you,” he added.
Some of the worst race riots took place in Bradford in 2001 between the large Asian minority and the city’s white majority, which resulted in 300 police officers being hurt and 297 arrests being made.
Both men now hope this positive story helps improves the relations of different races and people of religions in the community.
