I lived in London many years before I moved to Paris. I was utterly shocked when it was struck by terrorism last week.

London is a multicultural city, where Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, whites, blacks, Europeans, Arabs, Asians, Africans live in the same neighborhoods, rub shoulders on the same streets, eat in the same restaurants, work in the same offices, shop in the same stores, study in the same schools and colleges and ride the same trains and buses.

Watching the horrific images from the scenes of the attacks on my TV screen, a sense of “deja vue” gripped me. They were strong reminders of the thousands who have disappeared and are disappearing in the mad violence that has engulfed our interdependent world since Sept. 11, 2001. They were copycats of our daily dose of heart-breaking images from the inferno in Iraq.

In violence only the innocent fall.

Just as Iraqis who had nothing to do with the atrocities of Saddam Hussein and his regime are being killed, wounded, imprisoned, humiliated and tortured everyday, those who died, lost loved ones or were injured in the vicious attack on the British capital had nothing to do with the invasion of Iraq, the tragedy of the Palestinians and the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

I was in London when two million people of all colors, all races and all faiths marched through the city to express their opposition to the Iraq war and to call on world leaders to find a peaceful solution to an escalating political crisis. I had never in the whole of my life seen such solidarity or experienced such love for humanity. I was proud to be part of the melting pot of kindness, empathy, sympathy and love that was London on that memorable day.

The opposition to the war was not triggered by a hatred for America, a rejection of freedom and democracy, or God forbid it, by an admiration or support for Saddam Hussein. The opposition was a manifestation of a true respect for life and a tremendous show of solidarity with a nation that had suffered decades of oppression, suppression, torture, wars, sanctions and misery under a ruthless dictator. “ No to war”, “No to bloodshed”, and “No to blood for oil” reverberated all over London.

The images from the horrific scenes of the attacks on bus No.30 and on four underground stations that I had often used filled my eyes with tears and my heart with grief. I felt numb and utterly helpless. All I could do was pray for the dead, the bereaved and the physically and psychologically wounded in London, Iraq, Beirut, Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank, Riyadh, Cairo, and Madrid, New York and everywhere else in our sad world.

Violence and terrorism are the most deadly diseases of our time. While we plead with scientists to do their best to find cure for malaria, AIDS, SARS and bird flue, we hesitate to call on politicians to extinguish the raging violence and to identify the true causes of terrorism, lest we be branded “extremists” or “fundamentalists”.

We tacitly accept, or pretend to accept, the theory that unemployment, oppression and absence of democracy and freedom in the Middle East are the sole source of madness, violence and terrorism. This acceptance has created and nourished a monster in our backyard — creating a division in our global society and paving the way for a clash of civilizations that we should do our best to avoid.

Terrorism has no nationality, no religion, no borders and no limits.

It is a mistake to regard all Muslims and all Arabs as terrorists. It is a mistake to call terrorists “Islamists”, ”Islamic fundamentalists” and “Muslim extremists”. It is a mistake to promote and reinforce the idea that “Muslim” terrorists are committing hideous crimes to advance the just Arab causes.

By making these mistakes, we give gangs and gangsters an identity that they should not have and a mantel that they should not wear. We confer upon them a legitimacy that is totally misplaced. We provide them with an umbrella to unite under, a mask to hide their ugly faces with and a forged license to recruit and brainwash the young, the gullible, the innocent and the inexperienced. Moreover, calling terrorists “Islamists” reinforces a growing belief in the Muslim world that the war on terrorism is a war on Islam.

The majority of Muslims are peaceful and law abiding. God only knows who the terrorists are and what their true motive is. He alone knows why they commit crimes that can only turn the table against Muslims and help a hostile media portray them as cruel villains, who hate the West, despise its culture and are determined to change its way of life

The crimes the terrorists have committed so far have fueled the rising flame of Islamophobia, promoted fear of Islam and could easily set Europe against its Muslim community. These heinous crimes can only undermine the ongoing efforts to integrate Muslims in their Western societies, weaken sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people and promote support for the illegal occupation of Arab lands. They could also create cracks in the body of Europe, turn the followers of different faiths against each other and set the stage for a clash of civilizations.

May God Almighty help the bereaved and the wounded! May the souls that perished on Sept. 11, 2001 and since, and those that will disappear in the raging violence and the ongoing war rest in peace!

— Ibtissam Al-Bassam is a former dean of King Fahd Academy in London and a present staff member of UNESCO. The views expressed are hers alone.