Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson. My thoughts and prayers with your family and friends.

Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson. My thoughts and prayers  are with your family and friends.

Man Haron Monis was a psychopath. He was a lowlife scumbag. His name is not even worthy of being uttered. He was a criminal thug, let loose on the streets of Sydney (Look here for a summary of events as they were happening if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

He was responsible for the deaths of two courageous Australians – barrister Katrina Dawson and Lindt cafe manager, Tori Johnson. He was responsible for 17 hours of panic, as innocent hostages sat waiting to be rescued from his clutches. He was responsible for bringing our beloved country to a standstill. He was responsible for the fear that rippled across  the community, that sat waiting for it all to end. He was responsible for the fear that Australian Muslims felt, thinking of the repercussions of these actions.

But neither he, nor anyone else, will be responsible for bringing Australians down. No one can take away our love for one another. No one will take away our ability to stand together in unity, in support and in love.

Our first thoughts should be with the victims of these tragic events. It is absolutely crucial that these people receive all the help that they need. The lives of the hostages that were lost must be honoured and remembered. They are courageous heroes who lost their lives in a hostage situation in the middle of Sydney. It should never have happened. It is completely, unimaginably horrific. I hope that tonight you are holding your loved ones close and relying on each other for comfort.

We, as a collective, will stand by the family and friends of those who lost their lives to this evil. We will stand by those who survived the horrific events of the last 48 hours. We will stand by the Muslims who feel terrified of what may happen in retaliation. We will stand, united. We will not go down.

It is times like these that we must remember that such actions are not Islamic. They are not reflective of the opinions of the wider Islamic community. I don’t even want to hear the rantings and ravings that even 1% of Muslims thinking this way is too many. I know that – I am acutely aware of the horror that comes with these people having thoughts and carrying out these attacks. I’m feeling it as well. However, I refuse to stand by and be attacked by racist bigots. I refuse to defend my right to call myself an Australia, to live and breathe in this country in the same way that anyone else can. This is my home. I am Australian, and you cannot take that away from me. We will not go down.

For now, I leave it at that. I will watch on with keen eyes and a heavy heart. Please contact me if you need to talk to someone.

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