In light of the appalling terrorist attack in London on Saturday, and many others before, it is imperative that there should be no retaliation towards Muslim communities in the West. Such overreaction is precisely the sort of scenario that the fanatics of the so-called Islamic State want. It would serve as a wonderful recruitment drive for them.
What should we do to make ourselves safer? This is a rather difficult question but what is clear is that we need an honest debate. Clearly, one facet of the solution is to increase spending on security and intelligence, including police presence on streets. Another one is to look at the countries and groups (not just the IS) that support and inspire terrorism. Ultimately, governments must engage with all their citizens and look at their grievances which can provoke a radicalised minority to react in such a murderous way.
Debates and other events can do important groundwork in terms of engaging with particular communities and informing and enlightening others. One such event is organised by the Socialist Party (PSC) in Barcelona on Saturday June 10. It is called Parlem de Islamofobia: Un combat contra la dicriminacio (We talk about Islmophbia: fight against discrimination). This is a worthy initiative and there should be more such events everywhere.
Photo credit: Flickr
Barcelona Forum for Politics and Society 