According to Arthur Ashe, True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. Same can be said of Mr Bathily.
Lassana Bathily is a Malian-born Muslim employee who hid customers from an Islamist gunman at a Paris kosher supermarket this month and has been granted French nationality. He was awarded French citizenship Tuesday in a ceremony that showcased his courage and selflessness.
Bathily, who has lived in France for about nine years and filed his citizenship papers last summer, was fast-tracked for citizenship, sparing him from the notoriously arduous process of becoming a naturalized Frenchman. He dressed in a black suit and white shirt, walked into Tuesday’s ceremony flanked by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He stood with his head bowed and his hands clasped as Cazeneuve praised his actions as “the highest gesture of Islam and peace” and welcomed him as “the newest citizen at the heart of this country.”
Bathily, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, walked into Tuesday’s ceremony flanked by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He stood with his head bowed and his hands clasped as Cazeneuve praised his actions as “the highest gesture of Islam and peace” and welcomed him as “the newest citizen at the heart of this country.”
Bathily was given a letter from French President François Hollande, a medal and a book on citizenship. Then he stepped slowly to the podium. “People tell me I am a hero. I am not a hero. I am trying to stay myself,” he said, visibly moved. He expressed his desire to see and help his family back home. He received a standing ovation when he finished with: “I am very happy. Long live liberty! Long live friendship! Long live solidarity! Long live France!”
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