Forty years on and we're back to square one

Martyrdom was never before so blatantly misinterpreted and corrupted. Fighting for the cause of Islam you say, we say take your fight somewhere else.

We will not be associated with murdering barbarians, who have selfishly unsettled the delicate balance of harmony and acceptance we as British Asians have struggled forty years to firstly gain and then retain.

The dawn of Thursday the 7th of July was like any other, a misty dew seeing the sun on a winning wicket leaving behind the clouds. The workers of London rise bleary eyed with the bleating of the alarm clocks.

They shower and shave whilst cramming two slices of bread into the toaster.

But this day would change everything our parents, particularly our fathers had created and nurtured over forty years ago when they first arrived on the shores of good old 'blighty'.

At 08.50 London was rocked by the destructive force of four home grown 'bombers' London would never be the same again neither would our comfortable existence as a minority group of British Asians. We as a community have been unsettled and shattered.

Never did I think I would be writing an article of this nature, never did I imagine the threat on London would metamorphose into reality.

The initial shock gives way to realisation and comprehending what this action will result in. When the U.S was rocked with the jolt it roused the country to experience an overwhelming sense of unification with the whole country coming together as one. In the U.K however the violence of 7/7 has resulted in our country accepting an awkward sense of segregation.

An irreparable division has been the effect of those bringing death and destruction on the capital city.

I fear the knowledgeable clerics of the mosque speaking with nothing but remorse for what these people have done are falling on deaf ears or indeed on ears that think they have heard enough?

Are those deaf ears hearing the voice of Enoch Powell as he spoke of the rivers of blood? Are the silent prejudices now going to be voiced for all to hear? Have these individuals unwittingly given fuel to the fire of racism?

I wonder just how many 'white' people will now be willing to listen to our defence or has the jury already passed a verdict of guilty? How can we effectively convey the ignorance indeed misinterpretation displayed of the Quran by those who murdered?

On the 14th of July you saw the whole nation stand shoulder to shoulder in unification and remembrance of all who perished in this tragedy. The fatalities came from all walks of life and were of all colours and religions as were the individuals who observed the two-minute silence.

On the 21st of July we saw a failed bombing attempt on the capital. Although the bombings of 7/7 were a shock there was also sense of relief as the warnings that had been repeated on a number of occasions gave rise to a fear of firstly when will it happen and secondly what the magnitude of the attack would be.

The failed attempt of 21/7 has put a whole new slant on the current state of affairs. The realisation will surely be sinking in that this is something that is not a 'one off'. Every day the news is watched with a degree of dread.

The shock and realisation that the events of a month ago were not an isolated incident is highly disturbing. My father who sports a beard was asked by a kindly old lady 'Are you Muslim, why do you like killing people?'

The sombre fact is that there are others probably thinking the very same thing.

I also worry why the press repeatedly call the three 'Pakistanis' when it was their fathers who were from Pakistan these four were born and bred here making them British. Surely this is more important than their country of origin?

The actions of the four 'suicide' bombers who have caused such carnage both physically and emotionally is something that is irreparable.

We as British Asians find the actions and thoughts of criminals alien to our beliefs and in no way represents us as a community.

If I could communicate with the 'fanatical four' who were the perpetrators of the crime I would say - HOW DARE YOU, in the name of Islam commit such a heinous crime and bring the hard working peaceful British Asian community into such disrepute.

You have left us as victims who may never recover from the destruction you caused.

You used our name without us accepting to be part of this fight. You have jeopardised years of tribulations our fathers had to endure with the aim of building an understanding and acceptance of the Asian community in Britain.

We are as innocent as those commuters who were caught up in your 'fight for the cause' on that fateful day.

The first domino has crashed and the end result is one that no one dares to foresee. The only certainty in these testing times is that nothing will ever be the same again.