Yet again Europe has been shaken by the impact of a terrorist attack – and, once again, it has responded in a way that we have come to see as tragically routine.

On social media we have Facebook safety check-ins, Twitter hashtags and sharable cartoons. In real life the Belgian flag will be hoist or projected over the national monuments of neighbouring European countries. The responses have taken on the morbid ritual of a funeral. And arguably, they are important to help us process the inexplicable horror and to give us some tools with which to communicate defiance in the face of terror.

The Mayor of Paris has tweeted that the Eiffel Tower will be illuminated in the colours of the Belgian Flag, Downing Street has raised the Belgian flag and the BBC reported that the word ‘Brussels’ in various languages dominated Twitter’s list of top worldwide trends.

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However, there is unease as we share the cartoon by Plantu showing France expressing solidarity with Belgium. Where was our cartoon for those who have died in Turkey at the hands of terrorists? Why didn’t Downing Street raise the Turkish flag after the atrocities in Ankara?

Last week three died and 36 were injured; in February 28 died and 60 were left injured; in January two attacks left 18 dead and 53 injured. In 2015 a swathe of attacks left a gasping 141 dead and 910 injured.

Shape Created with Sketch. Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims Show all 27 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Brussels attacks: tributes are paid to the victims 1/27 Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images 2/27 Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images 3/27 A building illuminated with the Belgian flag colours and a heart in Brussels, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and subway Maelbeek. Getty Images 4/27 A picture taken on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, shows drawings and a candle, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and Brussels subway Maelbeek Getty Images 5/27 Candles are displayed in tribute to the Brussels attacks victims on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, two days after the suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on 22 March. Getty Images 6/27 A mourner lights a candle in Trafalgar Square during a candlelit vigil in support of the victims of the recent terror attacks in Brussels. Getty Images 7/27 Brussels airport workers pay tribute to the victims near Zaventem Getty Images 8/27 Activists light candles and hold placards to condemn the terrorist attacks in Belgium, during a gathering in Manila, Philippines 9/27 A banner for the victims of the bombings reads "I am Brussels" at the Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels 10/27 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left front center, stands with front row, left to right, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Belgium's King Philippe, Belgium's Queen Mathilde and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as well as members of the European Commission during a minute of silence at EU headquarters in Brussels 11/27 People join hands in solidarity near the former stock exchange following the bomb attacks in Brussels 12/27 Belgium flags ornate the facade of the Paris Town Hall 13/27 A woman embraces her children at The Place de la Bourse as she pays her respects to victims of the terrorists attacks in Brussels 14/27 Belgian and European Union flags fly at half mast following the bomb attacks in Brussels 15/27 Candles in the colors of the Belgian national flag are lit inside the Belgian embassy in Madrid, a day after the deadly suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and its subway system 16/27 Servicemen of Azov, Ukrainian volunteers battalion, hold torches in front of floral tributes during a ceremony in front of the Belgian embassy in Kiev, in tribute to the victims of Brussels attacks 17/27 A refugee boy holds up a placard reading "Sorry for Brussels" at a refugee camp near the Greek-Macedonian border 18/27 Brussels tributes People light candles in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 19/27 Brussels tributes A woman holds a drawing by French cartoonist Plantu picturing a character made of a French flag consoling another made of the Belgian flag, in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris Getty Images 20/27 Brussels tributes The colours of the Belgian flag are projected on to (clockwise from top left) the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the town council building in Belgrade, Rome's Campidoglio and the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam Getty Images 21/27 Brussels tributes Candles are lit in tribute to the victims, at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 22/27 Brussels tributes A woman holds a placard reading "Paris hearts Belgium, How much time will it take us to open our eyes and say STOP, Today our hearts are broken, Open your eyes to change the future" at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images 23/27 Brussels tributes People gather to pay a tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels Getty Images 24/27 Brussels tributes People write messages on the ground at Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 25/27 Brussels tributes A bouquet of flowers in the Belgian national colours with a card reading 'To our neighbours, to our friends, to our Belgian brothers - an indignant Parisian' is seen next to a French national flag at the fence of the Belgian embassy in Paris Getty Images 26/27 Brussels tributes Solidarity messages are written in chalk outside the stock exchange in Brussels AP 27/27 Brussels tributes Messages and floral tributes outside the Brussels stock exchange AP 1/27 Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images 2/27 Wreaths of flowers in front of an entrance of the Maalbeek subway station in Brussels in homage to the victims of a terrorist attack. Getty Images 3/27 A building illuminated with the Belgian flag colours and a heart in Brussels, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and subway Maelbeek. Getty Images 4/27 A picture taken on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, shows drawings and a candle, two days after suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on March 22 in Zaventem airport and Brussels subway Maelbeek Getty Images 5/27 Candles are displayed in tribute to the Brussels attacks victims on 24 March, 2016 on place de la Bourse in Brussels, two days after the suicide bombing attacks of terrorists on 22 March. Getty Images 6/27 A mourner lights a candle in Trafalgar Square during a candlelit vigil in support of the victims of the recent terror attacks in Brussels. Getty Images 7/27 Brussels airport workers pay tribute to the victims near Zaventem Getty Images 8/27 Activists light candles and hold placards to condemn the terrorist attacks in Belgium, during a gathering in Manila, Philippines 9/27 A banner for the victims of the bombings reads "I am Brussels" at the Place de la Bourse in the center of Brussels 10/27 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left front center, stands with front row, left to right, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Belgium's King Philippe, Belgium's Queen Mathilde and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as well as members of the European Commission during a minute of silence at EU headquarters in Brussels 11/27 People join hands in solidarity near the former stock exchange following the bomb attacks in Brussels 12/27 Belgium flags ornate the facade of the Paris Town Hall 13/27 A woman embraces her children at The Place de la Bourse as she pays her respects to victims of the terrorists attacks in Brussels 14/27 Belgian and European Union flags fly at half mast following the bomb attacks in Brussels 15/27 Candles in the colors of the Belgian national flag are lit inside the Belgian embassy in Madrid, a day after the deadly suicide attacks on the Brussels airport and its subway system 16/27 Servicemen of Azov, Ukrainian volunteers battalion, hold torches in front of floral tributes during a ceremony in front of the Belgian embassy in Kiev, in tribute to the victims of Brussels attacks 17/27 A refugee boy holds up a placard reading "Sorry for Brussels" at a refugee camp near the Greek-Macedonian border 18/27 Brussels tributes People light candles in tribute to victims at a makeshift memorial at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 19/27 Brussels tributes A woman holds a drawing by French cartoonist Plantu picturing a character made of a French flag consoling another made of the Belgian flag, in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris Getty Images 20/27 Brussels tributes The colours of the Belgian flag are projected on to (clockwise from top left) the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the town council building in Belgrade, Rome's Campidoglio and the Royal Palace at Dam Square in Amsterdam Getty Images 21/27 Brussels tributes Candles are lit in tribute to the victims, at the Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 22/27 Brussels tributes A woman holds a placard reading "Paris hearts Belgium, How much time will it take us to open our eyes and say STOP, Today our hearts are broken, Open your eyes to change the future" at the Place de la Republique in Paris Getty Images 23/27 Brussels tributes People gather to pay a tribute to victims of terrorist attacks in Brussels Getty Images 24/27 Brussels tributes People write messages on the ground at Place de la Bourse in Brussels Getty Images 25/27 Brussels tributes A bouquet of flowers in the Belgian national colours with a card reading 'To our neighbours, to our friends, to our Belgian brothers - an indignant Parisian' is seen next to a French national flag at the fence of the Belgian embassy in Paris Getty Images 26/27 Brussels tributes Solidarity messages are written in chalk outside the stock exchange in Brussels AP 27/27 Brussels tributes Messages and floral tributes outside the Brussels stock exchange AP

The weight of a terror attack shouldn’t be measured in terms of the numbers hurt and killed. Each life taken to prove a political point is an outrage. But the figures stand. There were so many more lives lost in Turkey, while Europe remained mute.

There seems to be limits to our solidarity and these boundaries look uncomfortably like the map of western Europe. Turkey remains just outside of our realm of care, not close enough in proximity to afford our grief.

Turkey is somewhere exotic, somewhere we holiday, but not somewhere we need to understand or lavish with our sympathy.

The motivations behind the attacks in Turkey are different to those behind the Brussels bombings. Some are carried out in the name of a century-long Kurdish independence movement against the Turkish state; some are carried out by the same Islamic fundamentalists - Isis - who carried out the Brussels attacks. But their tactics are the same: terror. And so should be our collective response: sympathy and solidarity.

Our indifference and our casual suspicion of Islam is fuelling terrorist organisations like Isis. As a Muslim and a survivor of terrorism, Malala Yousafzai recently spoke out against the problem of dividing victims of terrorism in the East and West: "If your intention is to stop terrorism, do not try to blame the whole population of Muslims for it, because [that] cannot stop terrorism.”

We should heed her final warning: “It will radicalise more terrorists."

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.

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