I think a good solution is to use those controversial scanners that everybody is concerned about. To be realistic, we can't expect a red carpet treatment at the airports, so I'd much rather go through a scanner and come out clean.
I agree with this.
I know that if I was a passenger on a plane or a loved one was on board a plane that was targeted by a terrorist, I would prefer that my personal safety or that of my family was being protected by reasonable precautions such as these scanners.
You still have people complaining that the full body scanners are also an invasion of privacy, but from my understanding, the scanner will be used on everyone regardless of race, religion or gender, though I believe that the destination of the plane will be a consideration for the use of the scanner. I know that some might complain that Muslims are still being unjustly targeted for such searches - but the fact that everyone on these planes including non-Muslims will be subject to the search should go some ways to alleviate the "victimization" complaint. When you live in a collective society - you give up certain personal liberties in the interest of the collective society.
If we want the empathy of the West (which you need to co-exist in this big wide world) we have to walk in their shoes. Intellectually they too know that the terrorist threats come from a few extremists and that the vast majority of Muslims condemn the acts of the few, but because the actual or potential impact of the few radicals is catastrophic, their suspicions or wariness becomes understandable and moderate appeasement is reasonable - ergo the scanners.
In response to a specific comment above (and I know I’m not stating anything that hasn’t been said already) that **“feelings of victimisation/anger/frustration are the main reasons for terrorism, it's because of those feelings that people misinterpret Islamic scripture” **seems to me an excuse to absolve extremist Muslims of their individual responsibility and to justify actions that cannot be justified. We need to take away these excuses and promote individual responsibility for those who affiliate themselves with the Muslim faith yet seek to pervert the faith. We cannot on one hand argue that terrorist inclinations and actions are limited to a few yet make excuses for them at the same time – defending or rationalizing their conduct has an element of complicity with their actions.
In my opinion one of the biggest failings of Muslims as a community is (and yes I know how fragmented the Muslim community is) that we let others define and explain us. We need to control our own PR and we have to believe in that PR – which means we have to not just state a message that we are a tolerant and just people – but we need to exemplify it through our actions.
Okay, my long rant is over now.