Tariq's Story
Tariq Khamisa was an amazing person. Tariq’s love for life inspired his father Azim Khamisa to start the Foundation in Tariq’s name after he was tragically killed in 1995 at the young age of 20. Here at TKF, we want you to know who Tariq was and what he cared about. Tariq’s spirit lives on and inspires all of us at TKF.
Tariq was a very special person. He had a lot of "roles" like many of you do – he was a loving son, a "little brother" and best friend, a fiancé to a beautiful woman, an artist, a photographer, a wise philosopher, a talented athlete, a good student, a cat & music lover, and so much more. Tariq loved life! Take some time to look through Tariq’s page so you can appreciate and love this awesome young man who was a true peacemaker and who continues to inspire all of the work we do here at the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
What Tariq Loved to Do
Tariq was a free spirit who loved life. He loved music (especially
reggae) and sports. He also loved animals, especially cats. His cats' names
were "Teddy" and"Chloe." During junior high and high
school, Tariq was on the track, football, and wrestling team. During his
senior year, he developed a passion and a talent for pottery and photography.
It was no surprise that art became his college major! He was also a gifted
and philosophical writer.
Tariq had a wonderful relationship with Jennifer who he met during his
freshman year at San Diego State. Tariq and Jennifer developed a deep friendship
that blossomed over time into a special romance. They had plans to get married
and were hoping to move to either Seattle or New York after graduation.
Jennifer was devastated by the death of Tariq. She moved away from San Diego
to be near family and friends to help her deal with the painful loss of
her fiancé.
Some Of Tariq’s Favorite
Things
His Family Nickname Tinker
His Favorite Color Blue
His Favorite Sport Snow Skiing
His Favorite Car Red Porsche
His Favorite Band Tool
His Favorite Book All Books by Stephen King
His Favorite Hero India’s "Mahatma" Gandhi
A Special Kind of Person
While growing up in Seattle, Tariq always had lots of friends. Everyone was attracted to his sincere, down-to-earth, kind and generous personality. Tariq also had a wonderful and close relationship with his family. His sister Tasreen considered her "little brother" her best friend. He and his mother Almas were kindred spirits with a deep soul connection.
"Tariq is the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. He had such
a big heart. He touched everyone he met with his unique, free-spirited personality.
I feel so fortunate and blessed to have been his sister. I will always cherish
our wonderful memories and keep Tariq close to my heart. I still miss him
very much." – Tasreen Khamisa Alaei (Tariq’s sister) 
"Tariq represented everything that was pure and good in this world.
Those who knew him felt his warmth, sensitivity, kindness, and compassion
for all. His idealistic views of what was right and wrong in the world frustrated
him and often made him angry. This led him to search for inner peace and
strength." – Almas Khamisa (Tariq’s mother)
"Tariq was an old soul in a young body. He was amazingly insightful
and always surprised me by remembering intricate details of my work. Tariq
loved children. Ironically, now I am following in his footsteps by working
with children at TKF. I know Tariq would have made a huge contribution to
humanity – his death is a great loss to the Khamisa family and to the world."
– Azim Khamisa (Tariq’s dad)
In his own words
"Today I took control of my life. The time has come to deal with
my own stuff. I can no longer blame others for my mistakes, for I am responsible
for my actions. No one’s perfect, that I know. I don’t want to be. I know
I don’t know and that’s all I need to know. I will lead my life; they can
say what they will. The ones who really care will be with me at the end.
Those who don’t, it’s not my problem. For I am what I am and that’s all
I will be." from Tariq’s Journal dated October 24, 1994
(just 3 months before his death)
(Written in 1992 for a school assignment - at age 18 & a high school
senior)
These are six of the aphorisms that I base my life on. It means a lot to
me to follow these aphorisms, and I try my utmost to.
1) “Hang in there when the odds are against you.” I feel that this quote has helped me a lot in all the things I do, especially in school and in sports. In wrestling this quote has helped me out a lot. Especially when you’re matched up against that really good wrestler who’s pinned everyone. This quote lets you know to tough it out even though the odds aren’t in your favor, and a lot of the times when you do this you do end up coming out ahead when you were sure you weren’t going to succeed.
2) “Treat people the way you would want to be treated.” This is very important to me. I feel you should treat everyone with respect, and in return you will be treated with it. I feel that you should be kind to people and, in general, treat them the way you know you would want to be treated.
3) “Give life your best effort.” I feel this is so important to me because if you always give life your best effort, in your mind you’ll never be a failure. If you always give your 110%, you know you’re trying your hardest and that gives you a good feeling of satisfaction even if you don’t always come out ahead.
4) “Use your time wisely.” I feel time not spent doing useful things, is time wasted. I live by this quote because I feel time is the most precious commodity known to man; because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Time is one thing you can never get back once it's gone, so you should always spend your time wisely.
5) “It is all right to be disappointed but a winner can never allow himself to be discouraged.” This quote allows you to face the trials and tribulations of life, and still be able to walk with your head up. Failure is unavoidable, but you have to be able to move on and getting discouraged won’t help you at all!
6) “Living by giving.” I feel it is much better to give than to receive. It makes you feel so good to be able to give things to people; not only material things, but also special things. Perhaps a warm smile to that person who’s having a bad day or some good advice to a person with a problem. Giving is a wonderful thing and I urge all of you to try it. It doesn’t take much and it will give you a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.
Tariq Khamisa's Life (Timeline)
1971 – Tariq’s parents (Azim & Almas Khamisa) met in Africa where they both grew up. They were married in Uganda and lived in nearby Kenya.
1972 - Tariq’s older sister Tasreen was born.
1973 – The Khamisa family left Kenya because of political unrest and moved to Canada. Almas (Tariq’s mom) was pregnant with Tariq at the time.
1974 - Tariq Khamisa was born on March 6th in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1975 – The Khamisa family moved to Seattle, Washington (when Tariq was
9 months old).
1981 – Tariq’s parents got divorced when Tariq was 7 years old. Tariq and Tasreen stayed in the Seattle area with their mom Almas. Their dad Azim moved to Atlanta and later to San Diego.
1992 - Tariq graduated from Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington.
1992 – Tariq moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State University (SDSU). He was an art major with a special interest in photography. Tariq and his dad were, once again, living in the same city so they had the opportunity to spend time together again.
1994 - Tariq took a 5-week trip to Kenya that summer with his mom Almas, sister Tasreen, and his aunt Yasmin. (read more about this special trip to Africa)
1995 – On January 21st, while working part-time at DiMille’s Restaurant delivering pizzas, 20-year-old Tariq Khamisa was shot and killed by 14-year-old Tony Hicks.