The world is frightened of terror. The fear has caused many Western governments to institute the level of security and control that, some are already arguing, come close to undermining the freedoms on which their societies are supposedly based. Bin Laden and his fellow bigots wanted to strike terror into their chosen enemies and it could be argued that they have succeeded all too well.
The appalling treatment meted out to the Indian doctor, Mohammed Haneef, by the Australian authorities illustrates the sort of victory that the terrorists as now winning. The British authorities told the Australians that a SIM card from a mobile telephone that Haneef owned was found during searches in the UK following the failed bombing in London and Glasgow last month, allegedly carried out by Muslim doctors. At the request of British, Haneef was detained as he was about to board a plane to India, where his wife had just given birth.
Encouraged by leaks from the Australian government and police, a tidal wave of media speculation was unleashed into Haneef’s connection with the alleged British terrorists. Security officials, including officers who had flown in from the UK, interrogated the man exhaustively. He apparently insisted that he had given his card to a relative and had no knowledge of any plot. However, the fact that he was both a doctor and a Muslim convinced the authorities that he had a case to answer. When it looked as if there was insufficient evidence to charge him with a terror crime, the Australians let it be known that he would probably still be detained on the grounds of immigration irregularities.
It was their public assertion that the SIM card had been found in the vehicle used in the attack on Glasgow airport. When it emerged that the British police had in fact discovered it during searches of homes in Liverpool, what little remaining excuse for detaining Haneef disappeared. He has been freed, but without apology. It doesn’t really matter if London misinformed Canberra or if the Australians simply got it wrong; what is evident here, as in other cases in the Western world where terror suspects have been apprehended, is that there has been a rush to judgment simply because a suspect fitted a profile.
Governments everywhere are careful to say publicly that while much of the terror threat comes from Muslims, not all Muslims are terrorists. Unfortunately, the way in which their police and security forces are behaving often contradicts this. It must be accepted that worldwide enquiries where speed is of the essence will tempt the authorities to act first and ask questions afterward. But the urgency with which they are acting generates insensitivity on two levels. Most obviously there is insensitivity toward Muslims, the great majority of whom abhor terror. But there is also insensitivity toward the standards of the fairness and justice which are cornerstones of civilized societies. Ignoring these gives a victory to Al-Qaeda.
