Image by pisaphotography / Shutterstock.com

There is an ugly face to Australia.

It is not the grainy one we see and will see flashed on our television screens, social media feeds and in the papers in coming days as we grapple with the Sydney siege.

It is the face of racism, that waits for the license of a confronting moment or mistruth to rare its ignorant head from the undercurrents of our community and take aim.

It is always there, in the shadows and in the pools of ignorance we let go on more peaceful days.

And I am sick of it.

It’s on our sporting fields, it’s in our pubs, it’s on our public transport, it’s in our homes.

How can we extol a cultural virtue of mateship if it is only afforded to a few?

How can we claim a value of a ‘fair go’ if it is exclusive to those of a certain colour or creed?

How can we claim to be a free country if we make others feel persecuted on our streets?

Terrorism has defined the headlines for most of my life and in its wake the cries to ‘protect and defend our freedoms’ echo.

But freedom isn’t exclusive, a never changing gift bequeathed via war to a few.

It is an experience we breed every day within our communities – the quality of the freedom we all enjoy is the sum of our individual efforts to overcome our own prejudices.

In my mind, the mark of a mature nation is not how it defends its freedom but how well it defends what binds us – our humanity.

And how well we each allow for expression that may be contrary to our own view, experience or tradition.

When we forsake the humanity that binds us in the pursuit of such expressions – then we have lost sight of freedom itself.

#I’llridewithyou – a hashtag used to offer support for Muslim Australians in public places if they fear racist backlash – is a response to the siege that is a simple act of solidarity and support for those who fear the ugly face of Australia at this time.

It is an opportunity to call racism out of the shadows, to fight fear with friendship and persecution with a peaceful act.

We know that confronting moments can propel nations to war and fracture communities when we allow what simmers beneath to take hold.

Isn’t it time we tried a different tact, if we are serious about peace and freedom?

Just as a war may start with a single act of violence, so could peace break out with simple acts of kindness.

Find a way to support  – make the offer #I’llridewithyou – retweet the movement to keep it alive and respond with a random act of kindness today.

Lets be the beautiful face of Australia.

Image of Sydney train station by pisaphotography / Shutterstock.com