The armadillo scurries away, head down, tail down, rose-flecked and glistening, escaping flames it never started. It represents the innocent caught in chaos created by others: armored against everyday threats, but overwhelmed by manufactured disasters.
So too with peaceful communities. Muslims worldwide build “armor” through faith, family, and good deeds, protecting against prejudice. Yet when external forces ignite “fires”—provoking or manipulating individuals into acts of violence—the innocent flee the fallout. The turmoil spreads, scorching reputations and harmony.
Like the armadillo emerging hastily from a burning nest, ordinary Muslims (and Afghans, Pakistanis, or anyone associated) bear the glare of suspicion for fires they did not light.
A Call for Clarity
As investigations into the Bondi attack continue, we must demand truth. Reject narratives that blanket-blame religions or ethnicities. Peaceful Islam has no place for terror—its prophets and texts enjoin mercy and justice.
If proxies or manipulations are at play, exposing them heals wounds. Unity—Jews, Muslims, Australians of all backgrounds—defeats division.
On this Hanukkah, let the lights shine brighter against the shadows. May the victims rest in peace, and may we all seek the real sources of turmoil, not the armored innocents fleeing the flames.
