Australians rally around their Muslim neighbours
#illridewithyou solidarity movement for Muslims springs from tragedy
Australians are standing with their Muslim neighbours after an armed gunman held a cafe captive, forcing customers and staff to hold up flags displaying the Islamic creed.
When the story broke, Australian Rachel Jacobs witnessed a woman remove her Islamic hijab on the train in fear of being harassed. Jacobs was so moved she offered to walk the woman home so that she might wear her Islamic dress without fear. She later shared her experience on Facebook.
A TV content editor living in Australia, Tessa Kum, was inspired by the story she took to Twitter, starting a viral campaign by likewise offering to sitting with those who felt afraid of reprisal for being Muslim.
She tweeted, offering Muslims who regularly ride the same train as Kum, “If… you wear religious attire, & don’t feel safe alone: I’ll ride with you.” She also started the hashtag #illridewithyou which is receiving international attention, rallying others to offer to sit with Australian Muslims.
Jacobs took to Facebook again in response to the movement she helped start.
“Mine was a very brief encounter - a small gesture to a stranger in response to the sadness that I felt that someone would ever feel unsafe or unwelcome because of their beliefs. I’m not the story and I’m not a hero. Those who started the #illridewithyou movement are incredibly inspiring and anyone who joins it is creating a path to peace for all of us.”
Another reminder that the answer to the question, "Who is my neighbour?" often surprises us.
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