Ancient hatred

Something my mother said some time ago keeps coming back to me. We were talking about the 7/7 bombings in London and I mentioned that a lot of commenators where concerned there might be a backlash against Muslims in the UK. She looked at me like I was stupid.

"Oh, George" she said, in a voice weary with age and bitter experience, "You don't know the English like I do. They'll go after the Jews before they'd even think to trouble the Muslims."

I dismissed it at the time. But I'm beginning to think maybe she wasn't far wrong.