JEDDAH, 17 July 2005 — In the wake of new investigations, the accusing finger points to British-born Muslims allegedly involved in the devastating multiple bombings in London last Thursday.
Talking to people from all walks of life convinces me that the bombings were the handiwork of the enemies of Islam and humanity. Muslims who constantly feel the chilling effect on their psyche for having been obliquely and sometimes directly branded as terrorists and their religion as harbinger of terrorism have come out to openly condemn the latest bombings.
“Sad, depressed and unwarranted,” said Bilal Saeed, general manager, Destinations of the World. Bilal, a Pakistani expatriate who spent his childhood and youth in London and graduated in hotel management from Holland Park and Mendoza Technical College in London was at pains explaining that King’s Cross was the major station and transport hub where commuters would arrive from suburbs and other parts of England.
The timings and the manner in which the explosions were conducted shows that it was a very organized and synchronized attack on the financial capital of the world. Despite the fact that British authorities are making every effort to contain any possible trouble, Bilal feared backlash (his mother is a British national living in London) from certain elements of British society against the colored population of the country.
Bilal had the strongest words of condemnation for the bombers and was not sure about their motives to attack London but averred that it might be in retaliation to the atrocities being committed against Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kashmir.
As this is the peak tourist season, the events will, Bilal feels, have serious impact on British economy. Particularly hard hit will be the hotel and airline industries.
“Very sad and the world must be cleansed from this menace,” commented Rizwanullah Siddiqui, printing professional at Sarawat Printers.
A frequent visitor to London, Rizwan who hails from Islamabad feared that this kind of attacks would rip apart the social fabric of Britain and it was the duty of Muslim scholars to educate the youth about the ill effects of terrorism.
Rizwan, who does not have any relatives but only friends in Britain, said that because of the doings of a few, the whole Muslim community is targeted, resulting in further alienation of migrant Muslims from the mainstream.
“Very wrong. Islam does not allow this,” said Rashid Master, a well-known Pakistani expatriate in advertising and marketing.
He said that as the attack was reported to be the handiwork of British-born and brought-up Muslims, it is not proper to raise an accusing finger at any particular country. He feared that “there will be backlash. The British don’t forget easily.”
Rashid was not sure about the motive of “perpetrators” to bomb a place like King’s Cross. He expected the introduction of more stringent visa regulations for Muslims. It will take Muslim and Arab countries at least six months to correct their image in the British media.
As for himself, Rashid says he is unperturbed and plans to travel to London within the next two months.
Muhammad Azram, another expatriate, blamed the London attacks on Jews. “No, no, I don’t believe anything. I am sure this is the handiwork of Jews. The same way as they were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and Muslims were made the scapegoat.”
Visibly sad and anguished over the loss of innocent lives in the attacks, Azram noted that with the smear campaign of the United States against terror across the world, it is only Muslims —Arabs and non-Arabs — who have been terrorized.
Be it Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran or Pakistan, the West always finds fault with Muslims and the Muslim leadership, he noted.
Azram said the common man was not even familiar with the word terror and its application before the attacks on New York’s Twin Towers in 2001.
The United States in tandem with the United Kingdom has forced people in Muslim countries to take up arms to defend themselves or retaliate for the occupation of Muslim lands, he concluded.
