I remember a girl I met in Melbourne, Australia back in October 2014.

I was coming out of the State Library. There was a small gathering at the forecourt. A few girls in their 20s, apparently students, were giving something away to people.

“Hello, please take a candy.”

She handed me a small bag of chocolates.

“Oh, thank you.” Assuming it was some kind of a survey or a promotional event, I received it without much thought (*when someone offers me a treat, my brain’s information processing function deteriorates quickly).

A small message label was attached to the bag.

“Have a nice day! from a Muslim”, it read. It didn’t look like a promotion or a religious campaign. Out of curiosity, I asked the girl.

“Uh, what is this? Why are you giving away chocolates to strangers?”

She looked a little embarrassed under her hijab.

“Well, you know, there were nationwide counter-terrorism raids last month, and then there was an IS terrorist attack a few weeks ago. It is really sad to see people thinking all Muslims are terrorists. So, me and my Muslim friends came up with an idea to give away chocolates to the people. ‘Cause everyone loves candies, and we just want people to know that we are friends, not terrorists.”

“Right,” I said. “That’s a good cause.”

“Thank you.” She smiled.

Race or religious beliefs have never really been an issue for me in Japan. When outside Japan, I have experienced some discrimination, but nothing compared to what black people or Muslims are facing day to day.

So it took a little bit of effort for me to put myself in her shoes. But I could relate to her feelings – as an immigrant, a minority in a society, and a young woman.

“Thank you for the choccy. Good luck with your campaign.” I smiled her back.

There was a hostage crisis only a few months later in Sydney. And very recently, a horrendous hate crime in New Zealand was caused by somebody from Australia, where I lived on and off for four years.

As I was watching the news, I thought about those girls. I don’t want chocolates anymore, I want the society where people do not have to give chocolates away just to be accepted by their community.