Becoming a Pilot

I've just got a couple of questions regading a future career as a
pilot, probably beginning after university (Biology).

First of all, I would like to know if ethnicity would pose any barrier
to becoming an airline pilot. All the yahoos that initiated the 9/11
disasters seem to have cast a shadow over a large majority of the
world's population. I have heard from various sources that training
could be denied on bases of your ethnic background and, as a British
citizen, it would be very sad to hear that.

Next, I was wondering if scholarships were still offered. Taking up
aviation is obviously a large financial risk, yet I've heard of
various flight schools still offering scholarships (such as the Mike
Hall Memorial PPL Scholarship). I was wondering if there were other
schools/airlines offering scholarships.

Thanks in advance.