Sydney Alliance Stands with our Muslim Community

Statement from the Board of Sydney Alliance:

Our Alliance stands with our beloved Muslim sisters & brothers, as they grieve for the victims of the terrorist attack on Muslims in Christchurch on Friday. We commit our coalition to working towards a safe community for all.

Our Alliance brings together over 40 member organisations that represent over 2 million people across the diversity of Sydney. We are faith groups, unions, community organisations and ethnic associations.

Last Thursday night, at our Town Hall Assembly, we gathered in hope across all faiths and none, strengthened by the presence of many Muslim communities and leaders who work so hard for the well-being of our city and all its people. As an Alliance we recommit ourselves to these communities, and to solidarity today, and every day.

We do not want to live in a society where people are scared to join with their community or practice their faith, where the undercurrent of allowing any to be treated as ‘other’ leaves treasured communities vulnerable to attack & prejudice.

Now is a moment for us as civil society to step up. We need to match the darkness of the attack with the positiveness of our action.

Over the weekend we have made contact with our Islamic partners and we will continue to connect today to leaders to offer our support and our listening. Some of us send prayers, others our thoughts. But we are united in our concern and we are all prepared to act.

We are developing ideas for action together.

We urge all people of good will in Sydney to support the Muslim community and act for a welcoming Australia.

In solidarity,

Mary Waterford AM| Chairperson |Sydney Alliance