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 By Jamie Clark and Kennedy Stewart
The
London bombings of July 7th brought Islamic suicide bombings to British
shores for the first time. On the surface, the tragedy does not appear to
affect young people in Wigan borough too much. London is a long way away
so the chances of being caught up in such carnage, or knowing someone who
might be, are slim.
However, the fact that the bombings were carried out by four young British
men, all from Yorkshire, shows that this is an issue we all need to think
about. London may have been the target this time but where will the
terrorists strike next? Birmingham, Manchester, who knows? Suicide
bombing, supposedly in the name of religion (although most religious
people or groups would argue blowing innocent people up is anything but
religious), are now here in Britain and as the future generation we need
to find a way to tackle this.
Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups have now carried out bombings in America,
Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain and many other
countries. Yet when it is carried out so close to home it has a much
deeper impact on us. When a report about a suicide bombing in Iraq or
Israel comes on the news it saddens most people, but when it is so far
away it does not tend to prey on the mind too much, unless it is a
particularly big attack.
Six days after the London bombings, an explosion in Iraq killed
twenty-seven civilians in the town of al-Khalij in Baghdad, almost all of
them children. Although a huge story in itself, in the wake of the London
bombings it was buried and it did not get too much UK media coverage. A
recent report by British academics estimates that nearly 25,000 civilians
have been killed in Iraq since the country was invaded in March 2003. The
50 deaths in London have rightly been treated as an absolute tragedy. The
incidents put into perspective what Iraqis are going through on an almost
daily basis.
Regardless of the scale of tragedies happening elsewhere in the world,
there is no doubt when they occur in your own country it has a totally
different impact on the mind. People from the North West were actually
caught up in the chaos of July 7th and countless others from this area
knew other people who were in London at the time of the bombings. Several
young people from the Wigan borough area were in London competing in a
debating competition for their college only days before and two LINC
reporters were in the capital watching West End theatre productions a few
weeks prior to the attacks (see opposite page). This shows we could get
caught up in terrible events like these. Indirectly, these bombings have
affected us all.
Immediately, people have become more cautious about travelling on public
transport. Many people have stopped using the London Underground
altogether, travelling to work on alternative forms of transport, such as
bicycle. People are reportedly leaving train carriages simply at the sight
of people of ethnic origin carrying rucksacks or suitcases. The
significant increase in false alarms and warnings, such as sign at Wigan
bus station asking travellers to be extra vigilant about unattended
luggage, have heightened fears.
In reality, the chances of any of us here in Wigan borough actually
getting killed by terrorists are still extremely slim. Scientists claim
there is more chance of being hit by lightening than there is of being
caught up in a terrorist incident. What is clear, however, is that the 7/7
incident, and the failed bombings of July 21st, have led to an increase in
racial attacks against Muslims. Race hate crimes against Muslims living in
the UK have risen 500% since 7/7, even though the vast majority of Muslims
are totally disgusted by the bombings. It is just plain wrong to use the
bombings as justification for attacking the religion and its followers in
general.
As the future generation it is up to us to find a solution to the growing
problem of terrorism. So far, the hard-line approach being taken by
governments across the world has caused almost as many problems as it has
solved, if not more. Israeli governments have followed a hard-line policy
for years and suicide bombings continue to occur there with horrible
frequency. Trying to stamp out terrorism with pure brute force only seems
to lead to feelings of anger, resentment and even more suicide bombings as
a result. In contrast, eight years of negotiations between all political
parties in Northern Ireland, has given real hope that the dark days of
bombings and killings are close to an end.
Of course, everything needs to be done to prevent terrorist strikes when
they can be stopped but, unless we have 24 hour surveillance of everyone
in the world (a severe breach of human rights), we simply cannot stop
every individual who attempts to blow themselves up by strapping
explosives to their body. A big part of the solution, therefore, must
surely be found in reducing the number of people in the world who are
subscribing to terrorism in the first place.
For example, if the Muslim world in general felt less aggrieved at the
actions of the West, like the humiliation and torture carried out by US
soldiers in Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, and it truly felt part of a
multicultural and just society, perhaps fewer people would turn to
extremism?
And this argument could be applied to all cultures and communities. Hatred
will only be overcome if cultures come together and fight terrorism as
one. As Marvin Gaye once sang, "War is not the answer, only love will
conquer hate." It is the duty of everyone in this society, including us
here in Wigan borough, to reach out to others to create a society where
terrorism cannot prosper.
The National Youth Agency has created a number of resources to promote
better understanding between communities and faiths. To view them visit:
http://www.nya.org.uk
What do you think the solution is to Islamic fundamentalist terror? Send
your views to:
linconline@wlct.org
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