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ChangingMinds Blog! > Blog Archive > 07-Jul-06

Friday 7-July-06

7/7, one year on

A year ago today, Islamic terrorists bombed London, on the underground train system and a bus. 52 people were killed and 700 were injured, a number seriously, losing limbs and the like. I was, perhaps fortunately, in Reading at the time, at my daughter's graduation.

Whilst it was not of the scale of 9/11, it was still something of a shock, particularly of course for those involved. I was in Chicago on 9/11, where a whole nation went into shock. We were stuck there for several days and went downtown into what seemed a deserted city. What impressed me in London, was how quickly people picked themselves up and got on with things. I was back in work after a couple of days, as were most others. London has been bombed by terrorists and other aggressors before and there is a deep determination not to be cowed. And yes, today I have travelled on the underground tube and overground train.

Today at 12 noon, everyone stopped for two minutes. It was a strange sight, seeing people frozen on the streets, just standing there with the heads bowed. Although we get on with things, we also remember. And that remembering is done with peace and sorrow, not hatred and aggression.

I feel great sympathy for the vast majority of Moslems who are peaceful and who now are feared, hated or under constant suspicion. I know several and they are all good and decent people. It is so sad when the few do so much damage to those who ostensibly have similar interests.

Acts of terror does not mean that we must be terrified. To do so would be to capitulate. And yet minds are changed. We act with caution and some, sadly, act with aggression. The road to peace can be very hard, but the alternative is unthinkable.

 Thought provoking and deeply insightful. I believe we (the British people) have our 'Dunkirk spirit' and our 'Blitz' mentality. We have been bombed before and we can, as a nation and as individuals cope. To falter in the turbulence of 'terror attacks' give the attackers strength.
Feel for the innocent caught up in these attacks. Feel for all the victims.
Don't propagate the myths and propaganda of the hate merchants. Don't allow the bleak, dark and terrible side of the human condition dictate to us. Live productive lives and move on.

-- Cody R.

Dave Replies:
It's now another year on and I walked past Haymarket the other day, where a car bomb had not long been disarmed outside a nightclub. The 21/7 bombers have each been jailed for 40 years. Apparently the only reason they failed was because of a calculation error in chemical proportions. One was standing next to a woman and child in a pushchair when he tried to set off his bomb. Sometimes I feel ashamed to be human.