On 14th December, about 1,000 people were attending an event on the first night of Hanukkah at a gathering called “Chanukah by the Sea” near Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Joy and laughter filled the air as families gathered for the festive occasion, with children playing at the Bondi Park playground nearby.
The festive atmosphere quickly descended into fear and chaos as two gunmen opened fire on civilians. Amid repeated gunshots, the screams of men, women, and children echoed across the area. Many rushed in to disarm the shooters, tried to save lives, and emerged as heroes. One such man is an Indian national, originally from Hyderabad.
Rahmat Pasha, an Uber driver in his 30s who had earlier worked as a chef, had just reached the vicinity of Bondi Beach to pick up a passenger when he heard loud noises. Since it was Hanukkah, he initially mistook it for firecrackers. But as the sound of repeated gunshots pierced the air, he quickly realized that the situation had turned chaotic, with people running in all directions to escape.
He saw one of the two shooters firing shots in rapid succession, while those hit by bullets screamed for help. Despite the shooter being nearby, Pasha, instead of running to save himself amid the active shooting, displayed exemplary courage and humanity.
Speaking to The Observer Post, Rahmat Pasha recounted how risky and intense the situation had become. He said, “I was behind the shooter; he was moving forward. If he had turned around, he would have shot me for sure. That moment was terrifying, but it didn’t stop me. To me, humanity comes first. Since childhood, I have been taught that the Quran clearly asserts that whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved the entire mankind. My faith, my religious principles, and my upbringing prompted me to help.”
Pasha is here referring to the Quranic verse from Chapter 5, Ayah 32: “Whoever takes a life, it is as if he has killed all of mankind, and whoever saves a life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind.”
Pasha detailed what he saw when he reached the attack site. He said, “I was terrified. There was a lot of blood, and people had fallen on the ground. Some were dead, and many were screaming and begging for someone to come rescue them. I couldn’t unsee it. I couldn’t walk away.”
Taking a pause, he recalled, “There was an elderly woman, almost my mother’s age, who was sitting on a bench singing when the shooters arrived. She was badly injured and couldn’t move. She kept screaming for help, and I instantly went to her and started consoling her. She gripped my hands in terror, and I kept assuring her that the medical team would arrive any moment and she would be saved. I sat with her for around 30 minutes until the rescue team arrived amid the chaos.”
On being asked which moment of the day stayed with him, he said, “The elderly woman had panicked a lot and was badly injured. I consoled her by saying that she would recover, and on Christmas, we would be sitting on the same bench, with me seated next to her, listening to her sing. She was moved by my words, calmed down, and finally looked at me and smiled. I cannot forget that moment. It reminds me of how my kind words had an impact on her.”
Emphasizing the power of kindness, he said that acts of compassion are guided by faith, principles, and fear of God. “Humanity is deeply moving, and my faith and religious principles compelled me to help others. Terrorism has no religion. One must never consider religion, race, gender, or caste while saving someone. When someone is killing people, they are already outside the bounds of religion, since no religion teaches violence.”
When the rescue team arrived, Pasha carried the elderly woman to the ambulance. Yet his courage did not end there. What he went on to do over the next four hours was extraordinary.
He returned to the site and started assisting the rescue teams in carrying victims of the attack one by one. “I was there with them from 7 in the evening till 11 at night and helped them carry the victims on stretchers.”
By that time, the media had also arrived. Photos and videos show Pasha in a white shirt, a blue hoodie and a blue cap, along with other team members, carrying victims.
In the attack, 15 people lost their lives, including a 10-year-old girl. More than 40 were injured. Some bravely died while trying to disarm the shooters, and others were seriously injured while attempting to rescue people.
After assisting in rescuing and comforting more than 15 men and women, around midnight, Pasha finally had a moment to sit down. His all-white shirt was now completely soaked in blood, his hands shivering uncontrollably, struggling to process what had just happened on a seemingly ordinary day. “Until this time, I had completely forgotten about my family living in India while I was saving lives. I have a 7-year-old daughter. When I realised this…”
“I started to cry and couldn’t stop shivering. Since I live here alone, far away from my family, the only people present were all I had at that moment. A local journalist sat with me and helped calm me down, along with a few rescue workers,” he added.
With the care and compassion he received, he finally calmed down.
Speaking about the mental impact, he revealed that the events keep replaying in his mind as if he is still living them. He said, “Since that day, I haven’t been able to sleep for more than two hours. The blood I saw of the dead and the injured, the terror in the victims’ eyes, the screaming… I am constantly reminded of it.”
According to Australian authorities, the two attackers—Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram—were a father-son duo. Sajid was shot dead by police during the attack, while his son, Naveed, was taken to the hospital after being injured and later charged with murder and terrorism.
Referring to the lack of an expected response from Indian authorities and media, Pasha questioned, “I am a proud Indian Muslim. Although I didn’t do all of this to earn praise, it’s surprising that the Indian Embassy here and the Indian government haven’t even asked about my well-being yet. Mainstream media channels didn’t cover this at all. I helped others, and yet it seems my actions have not reached them or have gone unnoticed. Even a simple call or message would have shown that my little efforts mattered and were acknowledged. Again, I want to stress that neither did I do this for praise nor for an award. I am just raising a question.”
Through his actions and words, Pasha echoes a simple yet powerful truth: in the face of terror and chaos, humanity and compassion stand tall. His courage serves as a reminder that even on the darkest days, acts of kindness can shine the brightest.
