John Sawers, the former chief of British intelligence agency MI6, said the West could exercise some restraint when it comes to dealing with Muslims and the Islam faith, and that might help ease tensions.
At the same time, Mr. Sawers said no provocation — perceived or real — justified the terror attacks on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris “on any basis whatsoever,” he said, The Independent reported.
“There is a requirement for some restraint on the side of those of us in the West,” he said, The Independent reported. “I rather agree with the pope … that respect for others peoples’ religion is an important part of this. If you show disrespect of others’ core values, then you are going to provoke an angry response.”
Mr. Sawers also said the public ought to give authorities more leeway to monitor their information — even those who are innocent and not named as suspects — in order to uphold the security of the larger population.
“We have to find a way as a society whereby the technology companies and those responsible for the security of our society can work together so that the interests of both can be met with limited compromise,” he said. “I don’t [think] this is a trade-off between security and privacy — I think they go together.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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