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strong>Dec. 16, Online/AP

Some Australian social media users sent a message of solidarity to Muslims as the Sydney café siege went on for almost a day, offering to accompany anyone who felt intimidated on public transit.

The Twitter hashtag #IllRideWithYou had been used more than 90,000 times by early Tuesday, as tweeters tried to allay fears of anti-Islamic attacks on Australia'€™s streets.

Hostages were held for more than 16 hours inside Sydney'€™s Lindt Chocolate Cafe by a gunman who had a flag bearing an Islamic declaration of faith that has been used in jihadi imagery. That prompted speculation that the siege could ignite retaliatory violence against Muslims.

Sydney resident Rachael Jacobs wrote on Facebook that she had seen a woman on the train remove her headscarf and offered to walk with her.

Your comments:

As an Australian I am very pleased that the '€œI'€™ll ride with you'€ message has spread so rapidly.

It is a simple and clear way of showing that Australians don'€™t want to be divided. We want to live together harmoniously, in all our diversity.  

Unfortunately there is a small minority who feel threatened when they meet someone who looks different or who comes from another culture.

The simple message of '€œI'€™ll ride with you'€ should help to deter some of the xenophobes.

Macropod

Thank you for your understanding from an Indonesian. Many large Christmas trees are erected in public places, malls, restaurants, etc. in Indonesia now.

Even workers who wear a hijab use Santa hats for our business; harmony is a wonderful thing.

Islam isn'€™t the problem, but small elements among billions of Muslims are the problem.

If the motive for terrorism is religious, it is impermissible in Islamic law because the religion doesn'€™t allow killing of any innocent human being.

I'€™m just lucky to live in Indonesia; Muslim pupils in Indonesia can receive a good education about religion, surely.

I just hope our country and other powerful Muslim nations will stop all slander and libel about this. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander like the Islamic State (IS) movement, Al-Qaeda, etc.

Cedeer

I'€™m a guy from Sydney who is actually in the city at the moment. There is a bit of a feeling of bleakness from the Middle Eastern community and everyone else as well. I think by and large, people are sick of these religious fanatics and the xenophobes as well.

It should be noted that in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning they have reported that this guy had an extensive criminal past in Iran as well.

The Iranian police tried to have him extradited in 2001 but no treaty existed between the countries so the guy stayed in Australia as a political refugee.

He was a long-term criminal and was not mentally stable. That would point to an inadequate refugee process and negligence by Australian authorities. This guy represents no Muslim person that I know in either Indonesia or Australia.

They see him as an embarrassment. I get that the religious element is a hot topic post-September 2001 but, being objective about it, Australia has had worse things happen.

Nate

Here are some other words from Tessa Kum, initiator of the #IllRideWithYou Twitter hashtag:

'€œFrom this I have learned about hate. Hate, like anger, is a poison for me, and so I'€™ve worked hard on myself to ensure I'€™m not attracted to the philosophies and perspectives of hate. My privilege is being born in and living in a Western country with a decent income. My privilege is being ambiguous in my physicality; as it'€™s not easy to identify which '€˜other'€™ I am.

'€œMost people are hesitant to voice what they know to be racist around me. The discrimination and bigotry I experience is largely unconscious and insidious, and in fact not grounded in hate at all.

'€œI'€™m fortunate, very fortunate.'€

Grey Zake