Although the current strategy of the British government is effective in the short run, British officials should realize the potential long term risk in their current antiterrorism strategy as more Muslim citizens feel distanced from the government.

The attempted terror attack at an airport in Scotland gives a reminder that terrorism is still a serious threat, despite all the preventive measures to stop such an attack. Thankfully, only a few bystanders were hurt from the attempted attacks, and British police and MI5 have been able to quickly determine that the airport attack was related to the attempted car bomb attack in central London. This really shows how effective Great Britain is in countering terrorist and using intelligence to quickly pacify the situation and restore order.

Great Britain has enough resources from surveillance to authority to prevent and combat against any terrorist attacks. But the continuous spying on citizens has infringed on basic privacy rights, and the overwhelming authority of the police and investigators have damaged relations between the Muslim community and the British government. It is the damaged relations that I am most troubled, because this leads to growing hate in the Muslim community that can potentially spawn off more homegrown terrorists. Furthermore, more Muslim British citizens feel isolated from the country as the nation looks at them with suspicious eyes.

The British government might defend their all-out tactic by stating that it is the most effective methods to counter terrorism. Searching homes without any legal reasons and arresting men based on guess work would indeed deter any terrorists from planning any attacks, let alone stay in the country at all. But the British authorities are trading short term benefits for long term consequences. Muslim communities will be isolated, and more British Muslims will hate against their own country. This devastating effect must be avoided, and there should be a change of strategy in the British government to safeguard its citizens while not straying away to unreasonable use of authority.