A Moral Question
The death of Mr Jean Charles de Menezes was very unfortunate. He was shot dead by the police even though he was completely unconnected to the attempted terrorist bombings in London.
It is true that the British police are working under intense pressure to hunt down the terrorists who carried out this terrible act and to prevent the same tragedy from happening. Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police chief, even acknowledged that more innocent people could be shot as the hunt continued.
A moral question is raised here. Is it okay to sacrifice an innocent life, if this can potentially save thousands? Not surprisingly, most British readers are supportive of their police. After two consecutive terrorist bombings in as many weeks, many British are edgy about safety and security in their own country. Their mentality is likely to be that of “better them than us” and “shoot first, ask questions later.”
This is understandable; I will probably adopt the same attitude if terrorists were to strike Singapore. However, such behaviour will only alienate Muslim communities even more. We should put ourselves in their shoes and look at the situation from their perspective too.
It is worth putting some thoughts into the question raised by Mr Yusof Yahya:
Could Britain accept it if an innocent British man was shot by three Brazilian plain-clothed policemen in the name of terror in Rio de Janeiro?