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#IllRideWithYou in Sydney and Pakistan

#IllRideWithYou in Sydney and Pakistan

Every calamity has the potential to do two things for humans – either drift them apart or bring them closer.

Sabeer Lodhi December 16, 2014

Australia woke up to one of the worst terrorist attacks in its contemporary history yesterday. A gun-toting extremist, Man Haron Moris, took people hostage at Lindt Café in the heart of Sydney’s Central Business District. Visuals of hostages pressed against windows holding black placards that read ‘There is no God but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (PBUH) is his prophet’ were plastered all over TV channels and news sites.

A black flag with white Arabic writing is held up in the window of the Lindt cafe in this still image taken from video from Australia’s Seven Network. Photo: Reuters

Man Haron Moris may have had 17 people as physical hostages. But all of Australia was a psychological hostage for those 16 - 18 hours.

This act of terrorism did not just spear at humanity alone. Within minutes the lone extremist also managed to taint Islam’s already precarious image in the world. What followed was a wave of Islamophobic bigotry from some people and Muslims were immediately on the defensive once again. These are some comments one can see on the Facebook page of The Age, a popular news publication in Australia.

Facebook snapshots

What boggles the mind is how a religion and billions of its followers can be judged and castigated for the acts of a small percentage that uses the cloak of Islam. Let’s take an example. Pakistan is plagued by terrorism and even today, barbarians attacked a school in Peshawar. Does that make each one of us a terrorist? Is it warranted that the world looks at each one of us as a terrorist sympathiser?

Such bigotry should be unacceptable.

This is why it came as a touching gesture when majority of Australians showed they stand with Muslims and would not alienate them because of this despicable incident. Every calamity has the potential to do two things for humans – either drift them apart or bring them closer. In this case, it brought everyone together through social media. It stood up against the bigotry of a select few when whilst the siege was underway, Twitter was abuzz with the hashtag #IllRideWithYou that has till now attracted more than 250000 posts.

The hashtag started soon after a woman, Racheal Jacobs, shared how she saw a Muslim woman take her veil off on a Brisbane train in fear of being attacked for being Muslim. She explained how she ran and offered to ride with her to keep her safe. This soon became a ripple that turned into waves of people all over the world showing solidarity with Muslims and offering to ride with them if they feel unsafe.

https://twitter.com/amelioratrix/status/544412196948561921

https://twitter.com/kateileaver/status/544750316650909697

https://twitter.com/macleanbrendan/status/544596775701467136

Don't give in to anyone trying to disrupt our multicultural, open society. Amazing seeing Aus band together to get through. #illridewithyou
— 👼🏼 (@troyesivan) December 16, 2014

Moving to see #illridewithyou trending in response to Sydney siege. In these moments, can't let fear overpower human decency.
— Samantha Power (@AmbPower44) December 16, 2014

This wasn’t just restricted to social media. Passengers on a train in Melbourne actually stood up for a woman wearing a chaddar when a man started harassing her, reported a newspaper today.

Needless to mention, such acts restore one’s faith in humanity. There are more people against bigotry than for it. In the same breath, let’s give back to the world what we expect from it. As a Pakistani, let me assure all Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis and other minorities that #IllRideWithYou.

Will you do the same, dear fellow countrymen?

WRITTEN BY:
Sabeer Lodhi

The writer is a graduate of Monash University, Melbourne. He is a perpetual student and supporter of human rights with a focus on gender equality, minority rights and post-colonialism. He tweets as https://twitter.com/sabeerlodhi">@sabeerlodhi.

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

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COMMENTS (19)

Muhammed Waqar Younis | 9 years ago | Reply Sponsor me?...I was looking forward to get education here rather then go outside...Don't you know what they do to muslims outside especially pakistanis?

Danish | 9 years ago | Reply "when you use religion to divide countries" stopped reading after that. Why shouldn't we have broken free from the British Empire?

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Sabeer | 9 years ago | Reply James... did you understand what was written in the article? I mentioned exactly what you said I didn't.

wb | 9 years ago | Reply "Does that make each one of us a terrorist? Is it warranted that the world looks at each one of us as a terrorist sympathiser?" No and yes. Yes, it makes an overwhelming majority of terrorist sympathizer. when you use religion to divide countries, when you call a certain country occupied after your ancestors have wiped out the original inhabitants of the country, when you attribute the blame on other countries, when you say Islam is perfect but Muslims are a problem, when you ridicule other religions without looking at millions of faults in your own religion, when you demand a country on the basis of religion, when you demand sharia in another country or impose it in your own country, when you condemn bans on burqa, when you don't condemn 1000s of temples destruction in response to the destruction of one desolated mosque, when you lie that gujarat riot was a massacre and don't attribute the root cause to the Muslims, when you glorify the caliphates of the past, when you glorify Ghori and Ghaznavi as heroes, when you glorify war, when you glorify war heroes, when you lie and exaggerate the non-existent or minor atrocities against Muslims in non-Muslim countries, when the persecution of non-Muslims by Muslims doesn't bother your heart, when you glorify Muslim kings completely ignoring their atrocious treatment of non-Muslims... You may not agree with all the points I've mentioned. But all my points are absolutely correct and there are many more actions through which you passively support terrorism. When you do such things, you are FUNDAMENTALLY SUPPORTING THE CAUSES OF TERRORISTS.

LS | 9 years ago | Reply "Does that make each one of us a terrorist? Is it warranted that the world looks at each one of us as a terrorist sympathiser? Such bigotry should be unacceptable." Is this statement reserved only for Muslims that they should not be bigoted against but its OK we do it even if few of you are doing it? - In last 3 decades, I haven't see a large scale procession, fight by moderate, Muslim people that attracted world attention against this terrorism. - I haven't see any condemnation of the innocent people killed in IRAQ, Syria but have seen a lot of jingoistic rants against Israel. Though if you compare the number killed by Israelis and the number killed by these terrorists, these terrorists (no matter where they are) would outnumber Israel many times over. I am not supporting any one here but its just a fact, No one spoke for the Syrians, Yezhidis, Kurds. - Has any government tried to suppress the machinery that feeds these terrorist organizations like Madarsa's, corrupt moulvis who teach hate on daily basis? - Large degree of people support strict adherence to Sharia and medieval laws as long as its someone else bearing the brunt - Most of the Muslims in foreign countries would release a statement and sit at home, have they collectively protested in the host nation and turned someone in they suspected of the crime? None. - Why is that if this act is of few then, Muslims demand Sharia law in host countries like in UK, US, India, Sweden, Germany, France where they live and are responsible for rioting, hooliganism in the name of religion they aren't they common people? I have never seen a Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Christian or Hindu, demanding special laws for themselves in other countries why is it always Muslims? If you so badly wanted Sharia then why did you leave the place you live in the first place? Were you now aware that those nations DO NOT follow Sharia? Or is just that they want to take advantage of the tolerant, globalist policies to enforce them in the host country but can never think of having similar policies in their own home country? - Why do you expect others to change but you don't want to change? Why is that others converting into you is OK but people converting out of You is NOT? - Why is that people view the world through religious angle on everything? Tsunami in Indonesia and they start following sharia law seriously.. there is moral police everywhere. Any other natural calamity, read more kuran, hurt more non-Muslims, convert more non-Muslims? - Why is that the there are almost 0% or no minorities in most of the Muslim nations and where there were they persecuted? - Why is that Muslims don't unite and protest against some of their own to bring peace for not only themselves but others too? Thus, no matter how much you say "Islam is religion of peace" the actions of these people speak even louder than words. What makes you in-tolerant? What Aussies did for Muslins #iwillridewithyou can you imagine that in any other Muslim country? People don't even come out of their home to protest... The world works when you reciprocate, I haven't seen any reciprocation of humanity, just words or fatwa that has no value. Lastly, this is not country specific, this is more about ideology, beliefs, before you push me down the drain.

Critical | 9 years ago Thought of sharing this pic I saw in Internet

Rahul | 9 years ago | Reply In Australia, there is no institutionalized persecution of minorities sanctioned by the government and condoned by society, can you say the same about Pakistan?

Prashant | 9 years ago | Reply "As a Pakistani, let me assure all Christians, Hindus, Ahmadis and other minorities that #IllRideWithYou." Sure, you will ride but where to, heaven or hell? You would be killed for being an infidel if you wanted to ride along with the likes of Taseer and the blasphemy accused. Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEtLWYY6Tk

abhi | 9 years ago | Reply I really don't understand why you need to include few hate statements in the begining of this article?

Pin2 | 9 years ago | Reply See the contrast Australia: When your fellow believer kill two innocents, IllRideWithYou in Sydney so you feel safe out there. Pakistan: When your fellow non-believer say something bad about prophet in a drunken state to a fellow drunkard who happens to be a believer, I will bring a mob of believer in Joseph colony and burn it to ashes.

James | 9 years ago | Reply Had it been nice if you would have said the same thing with Christian, Hinzu, and Ahmadiyya Community.. at least do you have guts to stand against the cirriculum which teaches hate against religious minorities. Please also address Christianophobia, Hinduphobia, Ahmadiphobia which is wide spread in Pakistan

Critical | 9 years ago | Reply Why we judge a religion of billion followers is not because of the action of few,but the inaction of the many... That Mahbub Khan wanted to score browny points during a tragedy and he was given a fitting reply by others... Let me ask you what you 'moderates' do to show that you are not supporting these extremists....Did any of the Pakistanis posted #Iridewithyou when a christian,Hindu or Ahmedi was attacked... The standard response by muslims are either Islamophobia,racism,ignorance,read-the-quran-first,they-are-not-real-muslims... Why such responses are not given to your fellow brothers who teach extremist activities...Why are you always targetting us right after we are attacked...This is the plan of muslims...The extremists attack us and the moderates shield them from the retaliation of non-muslims.....

Maximus Decimus Meridius | 9 years ago | Reply Australia allows shia processions to be held without incident. They allow Ahmadis to hold their conventions. They think of themselves to be as an amalgam of various religions and ethnicities. A person who thinks that this can occur in Pakistan is highly naive. He should google the following ASAP. "Salman Taseer", "Junaid Jamshed", "Shia kafir, Shia kafir jo na manay woh bhe kafir". With extremist mindset being taught in our schools and madrasas on an hourly basis , pakistan is light years behind these countries.

Muhammed Waqar Younis | 9 years ago Say everything bad about our country, make us more angry and hateful

Neo-atheist | 9 years ago | Reply It is the ideology that billions of people adhere which is rotten, not necessarily that each and every Muslim is acting on those beliefs.

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