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.
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.