More good than bad after 7/7

LONDON: In the first few weeks after the 7/7 terror attacks paranoia was rife and pundits were predicting doom and gloom. There were debates galore about the future of the 1.8 million-strong British Muslim community. How would they react? How would others react to them? Would there be more racist attacks? Would Muslims become isolated, embittered and rush into the arms of fundamentalists?

One year on all the apprehensions have been proven wrong. British society has risen above revenge. Apart from some isolated hate crimes — most likely by existing racist elements — the country has not descend into communal violence. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in ‘stop and search’ of Asian men using the underground, but the average Londoner takes it in his stride. Asians are as concerned about the terror threat as the next man.

There is increased police presence on the streets of London and the image of the lone, unarmed British bobby pounding the beat has been replaced by hordes of gun-toting officers wearing bullet proof vests guarding ‘soft targets’. Such sights do instill confidence among the public, despite incidents like the shooting dead of an innocent Brazilian electrician or the more recent raid and arrests at a Asian home in east London. The prime demand from the Asians is that police use minimum force and maximum sensitivity in future raids and do their homework properly.

The intense national scrutiny of the British Muslim community has had more positive effects than anticipated. The first fallacy the debates cleared up is that Britain ‘s Muslim population is one homogeneous, fanatical block. Some of the oldest Muslim migrants to Britain are from India and Pakistan, followed by the Bangladeshis. Subsequently as their countries were torn by war Arabs from Egypt, Libya, Syria, Lebannon, Iraq, Palestine, Iran sought political asylum here. The more recent Muslim refugees have been from the African countries like Sudan and Somalia, and the newly formed Eastern Europe. While they all share one religion they all bring with them cultural differences. The focus initially fell on Asian Muslims, as three of the suicide bombers had Pakistani origins. But eventually it was pinpointed that only a small minority had fundamentalist links, the majority were just ordinary, peaceful citizens. Over the last year, the media has become more sensitive to tarring all Muslims with one brush.

The searchlight has gone beyond the cosmetic differences of looks and dress to find that the majority of British Asians and Muslims have the same ideas of public morality, education and opportunity as their ‘mainstream’ compatriots. Voices that had remained silent have been provoked into being heard to prevent extremists from hijacking all agendas. Organisations like the Muslims for Secular Democracy representing the average law-abiding, educated, liberal Muslim have come into existence. Even those living in so-called ghettos have realised that it is time to engage with the wider community.

More than splitting the country into ethnic groups, the suicide bombers have succeeded in bringing everyone together behind the Union Jack. A prime example of the overt show of national fervour was the unprecedented support the English football team received in this World Cup. Asian owned homes, cars, shops and businesses across the land sported the red and white flag of St George along with their white neighbours, flaunting their patriotism and Britishness.

Ironically, the prime loser of the bomb blasts has been Tony Blair and the support for the Iraq war. The British were less gung ho then the Americans about the ‘war on terror’ from the beginning, and London had seen one of the largest demonstrations in history in Trafalgar Square against the Iraq war. The 7/7 attacks have won even more converts onto the anti-war side. The more Blair denies the connection the more Britons are convinced that it was the attack on Iraq and Bush-Blair’s foreign policy that provoked the London blasts.

Blair’s credibility lies in tatters and his popularity ratings have slumped so much that the only question on everyone’s lips is ‘when will he go?’ If the suicide bombers’ aim was to shake Blair’s support they have succeeded. If it was to instill fear and dread into the hearts of Londoners making them insular and self-centred, then they have failed.