It is the way he ensures the man responsible for the attacks does not win.
On March 15, 2019, attacks at the Al Noor and Linwood Mosques left 51 people dead and many more injured.
Mr Boztas, who spoke to the Otago Daily Times yesterday on the eve of the anniversary, was one of the people caught in the crossfire.
"There was a lot of blood, a lot of bodies around.
"It was out of nowhere. We were sitting down and it just happened."
Just before the attacks, he had planned to visit the mosque and then drive back to Dunedin, but "that didn’t happen".
"I video-called my parents straight away. They were in a state of shock; they couldn’t believe it.
"They told me the six-hour drive to visit me [in hospital] was like a 40-hour drive — they were so stressed."
He spent three weeks in Christchurch Hospital and another two weeks in Dunedin Hospital.
He was left with shrapnel in the left side of his body.
"The first couple of weeks were OK, but the third week, I felt it; it really hit me.
"It wasn’t easy."
The support from people from all over the world for the New Zealand Muslim community "uplifted" them, he said.
"I learned that life was temporary. You have to live life to the full before it’s too late."
He still keeps in contact with many of the survivors, and in August 2020, he spoke at the sentencing of terrorist Brenton Tarrant in Christchurch.
"I wanted to face him. I wanted to show him that we were not scared of him.
"I wanted to tell him to his face that he was a coward.
"It felt like a weight off my shoulder."
Mr Boztas, a former King’s High School pupil, has lived in Dunedin for 15 years.
"My plan was to study in Christchurch [in 2019], but that didn’t go to plan. A lot of my Dunedin friends drove up to the Christchurch hospital.
"It was a good moment in unforeseen circumstances."
The rehabilitation was challenging at times, but he was determined to push through it, he said.
"These things can happen to anyone. It’s just how you respond to it.
"It’s a trial from God. You can either be grateful and go forward or dwell in the past. I choose to move forward.
"If I don’t move forward, I let the terrorist win. He will not win."
He was forever grateful to the Dunedin Muslim community, he said.
"They’re supportive of everyone whether you’re Muslim or non-Muslim.
"You don’t have to be Muslim. You can break your fast with us if you want. You can come join us."
