These words are not mine. They were written by another, who wishes to remain anonymous. The context is that the author is a follower of Islam, living in Australia, and they come in the wake of the recent mosque attacks in Christchurch.

Whilst the author wishes to remain anonymous, I believe that these words need to be shared and spread widely.

#HelloBrother
#TheyAreUs
#WeStandTogether
#mosqueshooting

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Lengthy post, but a candid moment now amongst friends:

Whenever I hear about attacks like these in the news, my first reaction is to automatically think ‘please, I hope the attacker is not Muslim, please, please don’t be Muslim’, I know I’m not the only Muslim who feels this either when there’s an attack on innocent people somewhere in the world.

I don’t think this way because I live in a dreamland where people who call themselves Muslim don’t commit such atrocities, but because I have experienced first-hand the unfair backlash the whole Muslim community inevitably have to deal with.

In the last couple of days I’ve heard statements like ‘the shoe is on the other foot’, or ‘the roles are now reversed’ (i.e. now it’s the Muslims who are getting attacked instead) by very well meaning people, but I don’t believe for one second that this is the case.

Why?

Nobody has stopped Australians, or white people from entering countries ‘until we figure out what’s going on’.

Nobody has been expected to apologise or denounce the terrorist’s behaviours.

Nobody has had to distance themselves from the terrorist.

Nobody believes he represents the beliefs of Australians or of white people.

Nobody has asked for a Senate enquiry into white people. Instead, we have at least one white supremacist in our Senate. And these leaders haven’t been so publicly told they must do more to combat white supremacists.

The man in the White House doesn’t think white supremacy is a rising global threat, and considering he’s an inspiration to these people I suppose he wouldn’t.

And it’s so easy to distance oneself from the actions and beliefs of the terrorist, because it’s so extreme and messed up!

Yet… we don’t have that privilege.

Muslims are often tarred with the same brush by so many, especially the media, and people in positions of power.

Muslims are immediately expected to denounce the actions wholeheartedly.

Muslims are immediately feeling guilt by ‘association’.

Muslim leaders have to immediately make announcements. As if by staying silent, we/they are agreeing or God-forbid, supporting such actions. They are publicly told they must do more to combat Islamist extremists.

The most visible members of our community, my brave and strong hijabi sisters and aunties, often cop the brunt of abuse. I know women who have decided to take off a hijab to feel safe. Realistically, to them, this is the equivalent of walking topless in public.

Muslims read on social media, hear on the street, listen on the radio, see talking heads on screens - questioning whether we should even be allowed to travel, worship, eat(!), dress, and ultimately even exist. So many things said under the guise of freedom of speech.

And even when attacks liker these happens to us, we still read, hear, listen, see so much hate from vocal sections of the community.

It hurts. It really, really does.

Some sections of the media have tried to humanise this terrorist: ‘how could this sweet boy from a country town’ who became a ‘working-class man’ become a terrorist? Why?

I feel that we need more people to call out the racism, or Islamophobia that we hear. Especially the ‘casual’ kind. Nobody will jokingly ‘casually’ say something racist or Islamophobic to me, but they might to my non-Muslim friends. Silence or passivity reinforce these disgusting ideas. People who say racist, or Islamophobic (or any other bigoted beliefs) feel validated or accepted if nobody challenges them or calls them out on it! I’m not saying you have to change their minds, but they need to at least know that you disagree with what they’re saying. Avoiding confrontation with these people lets their beliefs grow. What you say matters, and what you do can help us.

As a wider society, we all need a little more love, to shine a little more light in such a dark time.

Peace.