Australians reach out to Muslims on Twitter

Sydney, December 15

The hashtag #IllRideWithYou has been trending on Twitter in Sydney and other major cities as Australians reached out to support Muslim commuters amid the Sydney hostage crisis.

Australian public transport users are offering to act as buddies for anyone who might be nervous to appear in public wearing religious attire.

As news of the crisis spread, Sydneysider Rachael Jacobs wrote on Facebook: “...and the (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab”. She added: “I ran after her at the train station. I said put it back on. I’ll walk with u. She started to cry and hugged me for about a minute then walked off alone.”

Tens of thousands of Twitter users already offered their support. According to reports, an Australian woman started the #Illridewithyou hashtag to show solidarity with Muslims who might feel threatened on public transport.

“#373 bus between Coogee & Martin Place. #Illridewithyou @ me if you just want to wear your headdress & not be bothered,” @sirtessa tweeted.

Within hours, Australians around the country repeated the hashtag, making #Illridewithyou one of the top trends on the social media site.

“I make a commitment, right now, to always say something when I see any kind of abuse on public transport. #Illridewithyou,” one user tweeted. Another wrote: “If you wear religious attire, & need to get from #Adelaide’s west suburbs to the city on Tues but don’t want to travel alone #Illridewithyou.” Another said: “I’m in. If u wear religious garments & feel unsafe, I’ll sit with u. Redfern-KX, peak hrs.” — IANS