After getting flamed for not living in fear over and over again. I realize you and I are not normal.
If this story is true, these men accomplished what they wanted. They scared some people on an airliner. Now they are scaring half the posters on this thread. Very sad indeed.
You may perhaps be mistaking concern for fear. Most on this thread realize that Islam is a fundamental ingredient in the war we are engaged in. Most realize that while every Arab is not a terrorist, practically every act of terror is committed by Arabs, generally young male Arabs.
I have come to realize that UBL and his associates want to create an Islamic empire and at the same time kill as many Israelis and Americans as possible in the interest of that goal. I have read enough to believe that he has the financial means and network to accomplish that.
I have no idea if the story that started this thread is true or if the situation was simply embellished, and some on this thread have expressed those doubts. That's irrelevant. We were discussing the situation and the reasonable reaction to it. It's hard for me to believe that anyone experiencing that would not have been concerned. We are told over and over again to watch for suspicious activity. What was reported would, to most objective people, fall into that category.
People on this thread are not running in fear of every Arab....but they should be looking carefully at every Arab. Fear is what the Philippine and Spanish governments are expressing. America must not fear these evil people, but America must come to realize their goals and deal with them accordingly. Profiling may not be the answer, but it's a start.