I will make the caveat there that I will be engaging in quite a bit of private racial profiling before I open up to my fellow passengers. I don't want to accidently let the bad guys know who they should fear. I would prefer that they fear all of us.
Absolutely, and you won't be the only one doing the profiling and sizing up. Fear is a great weapon, and these bozos are not used to getting it used against them!
Now, you two tell me how to get over my fear of FLYING, which is currently only controllable with two martinis right before boarding.
Don't allow that racial profiling to get you to ignore non-"swarthy-looking" passengers. Not all Muslims are dark. Not even all Arabs are "swarthy" or "dark". Some Arabs even have red hair and green eyes,and I have personally seen a "Ricky Schroeder look-alike" who was a fundamentailist Muslim at my insurance agent's office. He even had the rag on his head,the robe,billowy pants,and the black wife all bundled-up except for her eyes. He was a American with no trace of any accent at all. I guarantee you this guy could spend 20 bucks on used clothes and you would never give him a glance.
The short end to a long post,pay attention to ALL your fellow passengers,regardless of race OR sex.