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Originally Posted by Livia

A little shocked - but I guess not wholly surprised - to see so much pre-emptive sympathy and empathy going to the "majority of Muslims" while twelve families come to terms with the death of a loved one and try to fit the pieces of their lives back together. The "majority of Muslims" don't stand up to be counted. They worry that they will be targeted with racial abuse in the backlash and then THAT becomes the focus of people's attention, instead of the terrorist atrocity that's just taken place. Maybe people don't truly get what's happening until it affects them directly. Many Muslims do stand up and disassociate terrorists with their religion. Many won't because a proportion of them agree with what's happening. If they didn't there'd be more dobbing in of extremists using mosques.

In that case it is equally inappropriate to use this tragedy to call for the banning of Muslims into the UK, to state that Mosques should be shut down, and talking up street action against immigrants while twelve families are coming to terms with the death of their loved ones

I strongly reject the notion that distinguishing extremists from ordinary Muslims takes anything away from the sympathy felt for yesterday and today's victims