No collective shame, please

SIALKOT: While it is true that Faisal Shahzad has brought shame to Pakistanis everywhere, I fail to see how the actions of one individual should be seen as representative of the community as a whole. He should be treated as a criminal and criminals bear individual responsibility. For instance I cannot be tried and punished for crimes committed by my real brother and any attempt to do so would be illegal. By that logic, profiling a family or a community is also, or should be, illegal.

Even if Faisal Shahzad is a terrorist, or is convicted of being one, acts of terrorism committed by him must not be interpreted as acts of war dictated by a community against a certain country or a culture. We should feel ashamed or responsible for his actions but should of course join in collective condemnation of such conduct through both words and deeds.