[Osem]

Let's hope this is indeed the end and that the only fatalities are those of the terrorist ****.

I think we need to face reality and understand that there is a real threat to our freedoms and a war is being waged on that by people who would, ironically, use our freedoms and tolerance against us. These people do not hide their agenda, ambitions or willingness to commit the most heinous crimes against anyone who refuses to 'believe' and be subjugated. As distasteful as it is, I think we are sooner or later going to have to accept that if we want to maintain any semblance of freedom we are going to have to be single minded in taking on and removing from our society those who preach hatred. It will not be easy but by carrying on trying to appease people (and their supporters) who would slaughter cartoonists and anyone else who dares to disagree with them, we're only exacerbating the problem and doing their work for them.

In WWII the lives of ordinary people were strictly controlled and in the common good. It wasn't always right, it wasn't nice and many innocent people did suffer but it was necessary. The danger we face is, I feel, so severe that we must give the security services the power and resources they need to root these people out and remove them before they're allowed to further spread their poison. The sentencing they receive then needs to fully reflect the seriousness of the agenda they're pursuing and ensure they can no longer threaten us. In the shorter term this may of course increase tensions amongst some groups but that's unavoidable whatever we do - these are people who seem to be grossly offended by so much about the society they have chosen to live within. It often makes me wonder why they choose to live in the west at all if they're so offended by so much but as yet I've never heard the likes of Anjem Choudary explain that.

For those Muslims who would be offended by cartoons of the prophet, they need to understand that they have a right to feel offended but in this society that right does not extend to taking the lives of those doing the 'offending' even where it is illegal. I believe the large majority of Muslims in the UK understand this and do not support or condone terrorism or murder.