It seems that despite terrorist organisations dominating news headlines for months previously, their reign as the most relevant current affair has come to an end. Recently President Donald Trump declared that the war against ISIS had been won and as terrorist’s exposure on mainstream media has lessened, from a local point of view, do we still have the same fears we had during the years of European terror?

Recently new debate was sparked amongst Britons as to the situation regarding Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who left the UK aged 15 to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria (ISIL). Her recent intention of returning to the UK caused conflict in opinion as to how ex-jihadists should be dealt with in the UK. Despite having the support of Jeremy Corbyn who says that she should return to claim the “support she needs,” a recent Sky News poll showed obvious favour against having Shamima Begum return as the majority stood at 78%. In a world where acceptance and tolerance are both being promoted heavily, it is clear to see perhaps for good reason, that ex-jihadists are not being tolerated nor accepted. However when tolerance and acceptance are shown despite obvious concerns as to jeopardising public safety, can it be considered acceptable to not be tolerant? It is obvious that Britons remain firm on the topic of our safety in regard to terrorism. As a nation which has in the past faced terrorism from both IRA and Islamic-state terrorist organisations, we remain adamant that our safety is a top priority. Many who argue that Shamima Begum does not pose a threat to the UK see only an innocent young woman who has been brainwashed from a young age who only wants the best for her child, however the majority of Britons would beg to differ.

 After becoming curious as to whether the people around me remained fearful of terrorist attacks, I asked both friends and family as to their opinion on whether they felt safe. Hampton student Tom expressed his thoughts on his safety in regards to terrorism as “Although attacks remain scary, their influence on us at the moment has decreased as they become less frequent. No, I don’t have the same amount of fear I used to. Previously large scale terror attacks happened more often and so at the time, especially when news of the Paris attacks was revealed, I was fearful. Now the news seems to be dominated by other affairs including Brexit.” Another Hampton student Xandy expressed similar thoughts. Although the years of terror attacks occurring often close to home could be gone, we should continue to remain vigilant and aware as to the dangers of terrorists.