Wonder how this great campaign is going, anyone knows?

Some Muslims actually find  "#I'll ride with You " offensive

Maria Bhatti is an Australian-Muslim lawyer and a PhD candidate at Monash University says

"As an Australian-Muslim, I feel misunderstood. I don't want anyone to ride with me. I don't want to defend myself for a crime I did not commit. I want to be able to share the passion and love I have for the shahada without feeling judged. A genuine understanding of Islam and the spiritual significance that the shahada has for Muslims has largely been ignored.

I want to stand up and say proudly "la ilaha illa-llah" (there is no one worthy of worship except Allah) because my sense of self is not defined by the superficial but a deeper connection with God who is eternal and always with me, near me and a part of me. "Muhammadun rasulu-llah" (Muhammad is his messenger) and he teaches me to serve others before myself, avoid prejudice and builds meaningful community ties. Please don't ride with me, understand me."

Personally, I find that attitude somewhat offensive. Muslims, like other religious groups, come to Australia to settle here. It is not up to us to learn about their culture/religion/heritage and try to understand it. THEY need to assimilate here and become Australians.

I have no issue with religion or culture and I always encourage people to respect their heritage. Muslims however, MUST UNDERSTAND that while we bear them no ill-will, so many of the crazies and terrorists in this world come from THEIR religion - naturally, we are going to be suspicious and careful. When a Muslim stands up and shouts out in arabic, how are we to know if it is an affirmation of their love of God or a warning that they are about to detonate?

Quote "A young Sydney woman, Rachael Jacobs, appears to have inspired the campaign after posting a moving Facebook status about her encounter with a Muslim woman earlier in the day.
"...and the (presumably) Muslim woman sitting next to me on the train silently removes her hijab," Ms Jacobs wrote.
"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."
I am appalled that some here have no empathy and find the above offensive.
They must have much hate of other races in their hearts.

Gerry, I dont know if your comment refers to my last post, but I was offended by the item in "The Age" that Abby posted, not the I'll ride with you" campaign - that one has my full support.

The lady fromThe AGE item seems to want to express her love of Allah in arabic and expects US TO UNDERSTAND?

Confusion was on my part - all good.

Understanding another in any capacity is "riding with them" in my view. Even if you don't agree with another, attempting to understand their reality, understand from their perspective, is respecting the world view of that other and respecting difference. Muslims are contributing in all sorts of ways to our society. Many are doctors and other health professionals, carers, teachers etc; the poor guy who was murdered on Manus Island was an architect and no doubt would have served our society well; my favourite commentator is the brilliant Waleed Ali, a Muslim who speaks so compassionately and intelligently on any topic of social import. There are fanatics in all faiths and there are fanatical Australians who are determined to hate all Muslims, spread fear about them and racially attack them, sometimes physically. The "I'll ride with you" campaign is a statement of support that goes way beyond actually physically riding with one. It is a statement of faith in fellow humanity, acceptance of difference, and a stand against Muslim hating fanatics.