When Azim Khamisa, now 75, learned his son Tariq had been killed, he dropped to the floor, and cried uncontrollably. "The pain was so unbearable," Azim told The Washington Post.

In 1995, his 20-year-old son Tariq was a San Diego State University sophomore and was a pizza deliveryman, making a delivery when four teenage gang members accosted him.

When they tried to rob him, Tariq refused to give them his money. As he drove away, one of the teens, Tony Hicks, 14-years-old, shot and killed him.

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While in deep mourning over his son's death, a profound revelation came to Azim. Soon, Azim stunned everyone when he forgave his son's killer.

"I didn't want to go through life angry and in hatred and resentment," he told The Post. "Because if you stay like that, who do you hurt? Yourself. Forgiveness can create peace."

Azim created the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, to offer teens alternatives to committing crimes.

Azim also met Tony Hicks' grandfather, Ples Felix, and for 28-years, they have spoken together, at hundreds of schools and public events, and in prisons.

Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix. Photo: em.com.br

As for Tony Hicks:

He was born to a 14-year-old single mother, and joined a gang in the sixth grade.

The youngest person in California to be tried as an adult, Tony got a prison sentence of 25-years to life. Five years later, Azim and Tony met for six hours at Folsom State Prison.

The two kept in touch, and eventually, so did Tasreen Khamisa, Tariq's sister, and head of the Foundation.

The Foundation lobbied for Tony's release, which was granted after 24-years, in 2019 when he was 38-years-old.

Today, Tony, who became a plumber, is actively involved with the Foundation, sharing his story and encouraging young people to find a better path.

Ples Felix, Tony Hicks and Azim Khamisa. Photo: facebook.com

He has also become a son to Azim and a member of the Khamisa family.

"I do believe that we all, at some point, have to learn to forgive," said Azim. "If we had enough people forgiving, that would shift society."

Editor's Note: To learn more washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/04/18/tariq-khamisa-azim-tony-hicks/ and facebook.com/tariqkhamisafoundation.

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