7/7 and Beyond - a South Asian response to the London Bombings

7/7 AND BEYOND - A Youth Perspective

Thesis statement: War against terrorism. The words are definitive enough. How can we fight a war against terrorism when war is a form of terrorism itself?

The events of 9/11cannot be forgotten. Since the two planes collided with the twin towers on the 9 th of September 2001, Muslims’ lives can never be the same again. This pivotal event gave birth to the war on terror, and subsequently the deaths of a countless number of people in Afghanistan and Iraq. Stalin once said that, “ One death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic”, and truly, the 26,797 to 30,163 civilians estimated to have died by military intervention in Iraq seems to be a number and not the indication of a modern political calamity.

“We, therefore, here in Britain stand shoulder to shoulder with our American friends in this hour of tragedy, and we, like them, will not rest until this evil is driven from our world.” Tony Blair spoke of ‘evil’ terrorists. But the question arises; what drives people to compensate their lives for their religious view? Developing as individuals in a non-Muslim country, the British-Muslim youth can begin to understand such motivations.

To be a Muslim defines a culture as well as a way of life. Unlike many other teenagers, Muslim teenagers do not drink alcohol, have promiscuous relationships or wear revealing clothes. At this point, the Muslims are divided from the non-Muslims. Furthermore, Muslim children pray five times a day and may visit the local mosque, whereas their peers may not attend church services at all. Being different and individual may be embraced by some individuals, but others may feel alienated and ‘confined’ to not be able to do the activities that their friends may. Although some view it as suppression and feel the need to neglect their faith, others become involved and inspired by the teaching of the Qu’ran. The two paths converge when at a certain point in life, Islam becomes important. It is possible to hide religious void underneath a façade of liberalism, however, it is impossible to deny the need for a God. Both those who are compelled to come back to the religion and those who feel the need to enter the depths of Islam at an early age find it difficult to understand why modern society fears Islam. Could the frustration and antagonism that this ultimate question causes may be viewed as the first step in the formation of radical opinions?

“There is no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: Defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we must”-Tony Blair. Muslims were presented with a two-fold path to follow. Undeniably, the loss of innocent lives in a terrorist attack is wrong, but the reasons why members of the Ummah would be driven to commit such acts were often left inconclusive. Could it be that post 9/11, many Muslims feel the need to discover this?

Historically, Muslims have undergone acts of hatred and religious discrimination such as the crusades. In the modern times though, it may seem to some as if nothing has changed. Srebrenica in Eastern Europe is a Muslim graveyard. During the brutal war in Bosnia-Hercegovina 1992-1995, the Bosnian Serbs' political leader Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic (military commander) ordered the genocide of Muslim men and boys, seven thousand Bosniaks being massacred. Dr. Riad El-Zanoun, the Palestinian Minister of Health reported 505 innocent children below the age of eighteen had been killed during operations in the West Bank two months ago, the total death toll among Palestinian civilians reaching 1,365 deaths. On Friday 22 nd June, Israeli tanks opened fire on a market in Jenin. Four Palestinian children and a man were killed and 26 others were wounded, simply because they were naïve enough to think that the curfew had been lifted. The media does not publicise these facts, but instead turns the attention to the number of citizens that have died due to terrorist attacks. The Ummah empathises with the suffering of Muslims worldwide and the sense of anger is further fuelled by the lack of exposure. There is a trend that if an American soldier dies, the media fully commemorates his/her contribution; the Muslim death toll is mentioned simply or not mentioned at all. Could a terrorist attack therefore, be symbolic of the need for recognition?

“Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists”- George W. Bush. Can one not be moderate? Is life always in black, or in white? Citizens could begin to doubt the power of their freewill when Bush stated these unforgettable words. Muslims do not agree with the aftermath of terrorist attacks such as wars or the pain and sorrow of those who have lost loved ones, but they may be able to feel the driving force leading to terrorism. Hence, those who cannot understand the close association between the Ummah may brand all Muslims as ‘terrorists’. These presumed ‘terrorists’ therefore, are alienated from society and are vulnerable to come in contact with realistic terrorist organisations that use the dissatisfaction of individuals against societal conform to provoke hatred.

The alienated individuals must be re-integrated with society. They have to accept society and society has to accept them. To strengthen the bonds between non-Muslims and Muslims, educational citizenship workshops should occur at schools that discuss the various perceptions of Islam and clarify the incorrect ideas. Thus, non-Muslims may begin to accept the religion and ideologies of Islam from a young age when fundamental concepts are ingrained, and subsequently not speculate Muslims to be terrorists. The Muslims may also feel a heightened sense of positive response to their faith and find a point of interaction with non-Muslims without compensating their religion. Moreover, the media could articulate the fact that Muslims as a community do not support terrorism and that less than 1% of the Ummah are in agreement with the acts of organisations such as Al-Qeada. This would present a different view towards terrorism, where the general public would look into the religion to find their own faults to have raised terrorists from a peace-loving Muslim community. If the media also focused attention upon the Srebrenica disaster and discussed the wrongs the world has allowed for such a disaster to occur, it would relieve some of the dissatisfaction that young Muslims have towards the government and hence reduce the likelihood of their successful brainwashing by extreme groups. From a non-Muslims’ perspective, by understanding the stimulus for terrorism, it may bridge the gap between two diverse cultures and set of values.

FIG 1

A recent survey carried out by the Observer demonstrated that 70% of the citizens considered the area that they live in racially diverse, (FIG 1) and 77% of the citizens would not rather live in a less ethnically diverse area (FIG 2). Furthermore, 60% of citizens have close friends from ethnic backgrounds (FIG 3).

FIG 2

FIG 3

Professor Sir Bernard Crick wrote in his report that, “[He saw] no incompatibility between multiculturalism and Britishness. Britishness must be part of multiculturalism. ‘Britishness’ is to respect the laws, the parliamentary and democratic political structures, traditional values of mutual tolerance and equal rights”. However, are all these criteria met?

To an innocent mind, it may seem as if Muslims as a whole do not respect the law and political system after the 7/7 bombings. Equally, after various racist attacks, the increasing appreciation for the British Nationalist Party and segregation between the public and the Muslim community can be viewed as a lack of religious tolerance. Hence, is Britain really as multicultural as it should be? Perhaps more Muslims should have made public their views on the atrocious acts of 7/7, and thus avoid misunderstandings that lead to discrimination. Furthermore, instead of secluding oneself from society and living within a microcosm, Muslims should speak up of the discrimination that they have encountered, to both tackle and raise awareness of the mental and physical scarring that racism can cause.

Could non-Muslim Caucasians perceive Muslim women wearing the hijab and/or jilbab to be suppressed and uneducated? We must conquer this incorrect discernment in order to integrate within the community. More Muslim women should speak publicly and vocalise their opinions to increase awareness that the wearing of a headscarf does not mean that they are in any way inferior to other working women. The headscarf should be shown be a symbol of empowerment rather than something that represents subordinance. Men may be the pioneers in raising the reputation of Muslims, but women must work side-by-side to show that Islam favours the importance of both genders. Moreover, educated Muslim women should in turn, educate other Muslim women so that they too, can stand on a pedestal to promote the close links within the Ummah and that they are self-advocating and valuable citizens of the U.K. A higher level of education within the community will also make it increasingly difficult for extreme organisations to infiltrate false ideas into the minds of Muslims.

FIG 4

FIG 5

Figure 4 shows that the majority of Muslims in the U. K feel loyal towards Britain. Unfortunately, 16% of Muslims do not feel loyal and 11% did not know whether they felt loyal to Britain. The 16% of Muslims must be given incentives for them to feel loyal; they should fell accepted themselves and British society should also be loyal towards them. More non-Muslims should try and understand the Islamic view. For the younger generation, citizenship lessons should place a focus upon the religious and cultural dissimilarity between the East and the West and quantify the importance and credibility of both.

Figure 5 demonstrates that 87% of British Muslims are against violence, 11% of Muslims do not know and 1% will use violence to change the ‘immoral’ Western society. For the 11% who cannot decide upon an opinion and the 1% who have extreme views, various forms of media should present arguments promoting non-violence. Radio and news coverage should qualify the fact that violence increases the disparity of views, and no constructive progress is made. Furthermore, appealing adverts and posters for the youth can increase the sense of harmony and peace between ethnic and religious groups. The personal frustrations of the 1% who believe in forms of terror should be considered and the grassroots of these views should be tackled through direct discussion between the minority 1% of Muslims and the government in a sophisticated and productive manner.

Muslim leaders teach the fundamentals of the religion to children and adults. They are the connection between the Qu’ran and its awareness within the mosque environment. Many imams and leaders are being questioned about how they are teaching Islam and whether they are a factor in the development of terrorists. Indeed, there are Imams who do hold extreme views which are then ingrained in the minds of the community; Muslims simply must accept this. However, to avoid the public from generalising all Imams, it should be made evident that only a very small minority of Imams are actually guilty of propagating incorrect ideas. The small number of Imams who are guilty should be deported and given the means for rehabilitation. In addition, the public should be made aware of incidents when a Muslim is arrested under suspicion, however, equally the public must also be aware of how many times the suspicions are proven to be incorrect. This will enable more people to hold a balanced view about Islam.

Britain has done a lot for us and the Muslims have also embraced her with honour. Over the years, t he Muslims have actively contributed for the economic progress of the United Kingdom. The Muslim immigrant who once owned just the corner shop is now an employer of many Caucasians. There are 5000 Asians in the UK who are multi millionaires, of which at least half are Muslims The Muslim population in London alone is 607, 000 among a total of approximately 2 million individuals in the United Kingdom. The demographics are ever growing and unfortunately, in some cases, as is the prejudice and hatred for this community.

The prejudice and hatred must be tackled. The government is trying to resolve and lessen the differences between the conventional Western world and Muslims and we must aid this effort. To provide an alternative view to the government, Muslims must come together and offer the authorities a plan for integration. The production of a program that follows the news on mainstream news channels such as Sky or CNN could tackle the issues that arise from terrorist attacks covered by the news. A critical approach to terrorism is necessary and an educated approach of a practising Muslim to clarify the principles of Islam will lead to the wider consideration and acceptance of Islam.

All areas in Britain which are liable to infiltration and subsequently the formation of discriminatory ideas need monitoring. Workshops to encourage community cohesion should become a part of the citizenship syllabus. Open discussions in the Parliament must be encouraged so that the Muslim community can fully explain their perspective for maximum effectiveness. Free and confidential help-lines and services for rehabilitation aimed at the Muslim youth could prove a great help. This will reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding and enable the Muslim youth to see clearly that terrorism is not the way forward. The arguments for terrorism must be revoked using the teaching of the Prophet and the Qu’ran as a tool. The fundamental principles of Islam are inner peace, tranquility and modesty. After all, can a Muslim really be classed as a terrorist when Islam speaks of passive resistance?

Religion causes division, but also brings people together. Although diverse religions may preach a versatile ethos, all religions are united on the basis of simple moral obligation. We are all responsible for each other in a community. The development of terrorists is not one-sided. It is caused by the problems within both the non-Muslim and the Muslim communities. Muslims in the West are faced with the question of Jihad. Although many ignorant citizens may view Jihad as fighting for faith through acts of terrorism, Jihad in fact is defined as striving for one’s faith. Undoubtedly, living in the West we do face a Jihad to aptly represent Islam in a manner that they remain part of the exclusive Islamic community yet interrelate well with the English society.

To conclude, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the West. Islam is the truth. It is a perfect truth that has been tainted by some to cause acts such as the occurrence on 7/7. It is our duty as the youth to speak up about how Islam inspires us.

To be proud of our religion.
To be proud of our nationality.
And to be proud that we are part of Prophet Mohammed’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Ummah.

By Maria Mahmood (15)
Beaconsfield High School