Reducing The Chances Of Being Blown Up In The Air

Travelling out of Paddington Station in the early 1970s one could not miss a huge piece of graffiti on a brick wall to the North of the track:

“WHY ARE 90% OF PRISONERS WORKING CLASS?

BECAUSE 90% OF THE WORKING CLASS ARE CRIMINALS.

PHILIP.”

Thus confronted, most passengers would have probably just smiled or shrugged at the irony, as appropriate, and got on with the crossword.  I don’t remember a media campaign to expunge the hateful message.  But when Michael O’Leary said, “males of a Muslim persuasion” should be profiled at airports, because “that is where the threat is coming from,” the uproar, from all media quarters, was instantaneous.  Sara Tor in the Times was particularly horrified and, in wearily reminding us that she had made these points many times before, reiterated; “not all Muslims are terrorists,” and “not all terrorists are Muslim.”  Quite so Sara but it seems to me undeniable that amongst the portion of the population that calls itself Muslim there is a lot of terrorists – people with a homicidal distaste for other religions and cultures. A lot of people believe that, for a given sample size, you are more likely to find a terrorist in the Muslim slice than any other religion or readily identifiable social group, young Swedish blondes or silver-haired grannies for example. “Ah,” you say, “but the people who murder other people in the name of Islam aren’t Muslims, they are Muslim Terrorists.” It’s a nice distinction but I’m not sure it is entirely relevant and I am reminded of a sketch  from Beyond the Fringe in which the distinction between a “terrorist” and a “freedom fighter” is being discussed.  When asked the difference, Jonathan Miller I think it was, explains that it is awfully difficult to tell, particularly if one is being disembowelled by one at the time.

I don’t like Michael O’Leary and particularly resented his smug lectures on Brexit but on this one I think he has a point.  With limited resources it makes sense not to spread them evenly but to concentrate them in the most likely target areas.  This will offend some but, more likely, please a majority who will be reassured that our law enforcement services are doing their absolute best to prevent a bloody outrage.