Sydney Siege: It is tragic what has unfolded over the past 24 hours. My thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of those that were involved and affected by last nights confounding events. It is confounding to me because I was always raised in cultural mixing pots and taught empathy and tolerance even if it wasnt something I would do. I am proud of how it was handled and how we handled it as a nation. Yet again Australia has shown that in times of crisis we pull together. Before all of you keyboard warriors start typing away today. I just want you to remember a few things. Youre in Australia. Thats right, youre in Australia. Theres rules and laws which we abide by and they are there for reasons. I know many people will be angry, but do not let the actions of one person reflect on those of the greater community. I am not muslim, but I do have muslim friends, and trained side by side with muslim soldiers that yes, were Australian. Before you start youre love it or leave it, we dont want you here, ban the burqa rants. Remember what youre suggesting. You are implying that you will not tolerate a certain religion and/or race of people or at the very least you are suggesting suppression on religious practices. Dont be a hypocrite. What you are doing is precisely what the Islamic State (ISIS) proclaims again the west and christianity. Remember there are places out there that do not give rights to religious freedom, do not tolerate people of other races and proclaim vigilante style justice to infidels and those not accepted as normal. We are Australian, so behave like it. This country is one of the greatest for a reason, and I certainly did not join the military to condone bigoted racist behavior. Please take a moment to remember that there are people this morning that would normally wear religious dress that are terrified to step foot out the door in fear of retaliation of something that they neither condoned or had anything to do with. Anybody or their friends who feel frightened that they will be harassed on public transport or please feel free to contact myself and #Iwillridewithyou Lets pull together as a nation with a response we can be proud of and give thanks for the many freedoms and opportunities we have as Australians, trust me we could have so much worse. Just remember, if youre going to spit out a sentence today, if you were to replace keywords with christian or jewish and think maybe it doesnt sound too crash hot, just dont say it. Freedom, tolerance, equality. This is Australia, dont let them get to us.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 20:44:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015