Suspected suicide bomber shot at Stockwell station.

[cori]

Have just heard an unconfirmed report on the radio. Anyone else?

me too dinosaur

Suicide bombers wear belts of explosives. Commonly. They can be female. They can even be white or so fair-skinned they appear to be white.

To each his own, but a life lived in fear is slavery, IMO.

It makes me sad too which i was i said in my initial post and have said over the last 2 weeks.

QoQ, think you and I should just agree to disagree, we would react diferently in different situations. That's because we are all different.

I should know better than get into this argument, but I think people are too quick to give people labels.
But just because one is scared of terrorism doesn't make them racists. I have no pre conceived opinion of any asian under most circunstances. I am partly black if this is relevant. However, if everybody is honest we all have expectations and concerns at different times... For example, I prefer to have female students than male. Is it fair? no! But statistically I have much better results from females than males. Also, an asian student twnd to be better than a white one in my experience. So, if two candidates have the exact same qualifications, I might be biased towards the asian one. I don't see this as rscism, I see as using cultural and sociological information to make a decision. How high a priority I give to this info? not very high, but it can be used if no other factor skewe my opinion.
Same resoning is used on my everyday life. If I can choose, I try to avoid crossing paths with young group of males using gang clothes. Am well aware that in most cases is just a fashion statement, but It makes me nervous and if I can avoid, I will. Racist? I don't think so - Chicken? yes!!

NOBODY said just because of their race! That''s NOT TRUE.
I said, if he was a/male b/ young (under 30) c/Asian and d/had a rucksack I would quietly and without a word or look to anyone, get off a bus. It's hardly targetting anyone and it is NOT purely based on race AT ALL.
Jesus, I'm not even getting on a bloody bus.

Same here, dino. The enemy is always within, I guess.

"OK fine QoQ - think what you like."

My last post was not thinking anything - these are official figures - 1.6 millions muslims, 1 million sikhs, 2million asians in the UK.

And I am 'worked up' about the bombs and I am afraid. I am afraid for myself and the people I know. I think it is frightening. I hardly think that is an extreme stance.

Whether this person was a bomber or not, this is the worst day in Britain for many years.

I know batters hun

was just saying that i wouldnt give a toss what colour there skin was, if anyone made me uncomfortable id leave quickly and quietly

very sad at this thread although i understand the views of all

I wasn't referring to your statistics QoQ.

but you're making the 'assumptioin' that all asians are muslims!

No I'm not.

OK any more news on whats happening in Parliment square (re twinset 7 Pearls post)

but you'd get on the bus/train with a white youth carrying a rucksack??

i'd egt off the bus if someone was carrying a rucksack and for some reason worried me.

I understand what your saying QofQ and why you are saying it, I think. But aloha has never posted she was making that assumption and neither has it come across like that.

if the bombers were consistently described as blonde 30 something women wearing birkenstocks I wouldn't be surprised if noone wanted to share a tube carriage with me

'Be Not Afraid. You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand. You shall see the face of God and live. Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me,
and I will give you rest.'

I explained already, of the bombers currently at large, so far the vast majority have been young, asian males carrying rucksacks. That's not an assumption. I'm not making any 'assumptions'. Just as I don't think all men are rapists, but I avoid being alone with lone males or groups of males of certain types on public transport. And I also avoid groups of youths of all colours wearing hoodies.

How awful must this be for ANYONE with darker than white skin.... We now know that the police are being told to shoot to kill anyone suspected... not confirmed.... as a suicide bomber!!! What are the criteria I wonder.... takes us back to BLu's comment about raking for an iPod.

How many people will die now at the hands of the police. Death death death no matter what religion.

Well my (Asian) friend has said there's no way she's going into London atm (she's on maternity leave) and she feels guilty for suspecting other Asians of being potential suicide bombers. I really don't think this is about racism. I can remember feeling a bit uneasy about a couple of Irish blokes with bags in the pub about ten years ago, because what turned out to be a terrorist had been a neighbour, and my whole family's Irish. Was I racist? I don't think so. And I certainly wasn't making the assumption that all Irishmen with bags were terrorists. My brother has a collection of bags.