I'm Proud of Australia- #IllRideWithYou

I remember the time after 9/11 very well, and mostly remember it as a time of national unity. I saw people come together, and I think we all saw the resolve and resiliency of New York and Washington.  It made you proud to be an American. Mostly. There was also a dark, ugly side. There was a side of xenophobia with that patriotism dish, particularly in the way we treated Muslim-Americans, and people who the majority of Americans perceived as "Arab/Muslim/Middle-Eastern." There was targeting by law enforcement, episodes of violence against them, and general degradation by some. Now, most of Americans had no part in this. Some did it though. Even as I clearly remember President Bush calling Islam a "religion of peace," I recount a story told to me the other day by a Muslim-American of a teacher of her's never returning to class- because she was beaten to death by xenophobes.

All of this leads me to the Sydney Siege, an awful and sad event that left three people dead. A self-professed radical Muslim cleric took a cafe in Sydney, Australia, and held the occupants hostage. He made them display a Jihadist-styled flag in the window for the press and onlookers to see, and eventually the crisis ended in violence that left him and two others dead. It would be easy to see this send Australia into a xenophobic fit, and I'm sure there have been/will be some who act on those inhibitions. That's sad, but it's also a part of human-nature that we won't ever completely shut off. That's not what happened though in Australia, at least not mostly. Instead, we're seeing a movement of inclusion and tolerance born:

#IllRideWithYou badges by great local business Make Badges handed out TODAY: 4.30 Flinders St Station ❤️@stephspeirs pic.twitter.com/W74TI0KCng
— Toula Karayannis (@digitalkulcha) December 17, 2014

I'll Ride With You. Four simple words, four words meant to allow the Muslims in Australia, 99.9% are peaceful and going about their lives, that their countrymen will stand with them. Four words to let them know that their religion isn't to blame for a lunatic doing terroristic things. Four words that show solidarity amongst all people, and show they're all in it together.

Now, again, I'm sure there are plenty of xenophobic, crazy reactions in Australia, just like there were a few here after 9/11. In fact, I'm very sure:

Murdoch ranter @MirandaDevine's attack on #IllRideWithYou insulting to #SydneySiege victims families who support it pic.twitter.com/4vKn5VM27i
— News Australia (@NewsAustralia) December 17, 2014

Even so- it's good to know that many Australians are responding like thinking, breathing, empathetic human-beings, and not reactionary, scared, war-mongering crazies. It's good to know there are some good people so many thousands of miles away.