Twenty years after 7/7 - no lessons have been learnt
Despite twenty years passing since 7/7 the UK government continues to make the same mistakes
The day 7/7 happened I still remember turning to my work colleague and saying, “this isn’t going to be good for the Muslim community in the UK”. Apparently a sentiment I shared with the journalist Medhi Hassan who told a friend “We’re screwed”.
On my part it wasn’t a reading of the oracle like some sage, after 9/11 and the ostracisation of the Muslim community, we were not going to be up for any ‘Minority of the Year’ nominations.
Twenty years on and its a sad thing for me to admit that I was right.
I still feel the need to start by saying that Islam doesn’t sanction the killing of innocents for any reason.
I grew up watching the Provisional IRA carrying out bombing attacks across the UK, the nonsensical muting of Gerry Adams whilst an audio voiceover was played always bemused me as a kid.
But this time it was different especially once it turned out to be four Muslim men from the UK who had carried out the attacks. This time all eyes were on the Muslims and no one else.
7/7 should have been a wake up call for the UK government, especially a few months later when videos of the bombers detailing their motivations were released.
These motivations were namely western foreign policy in Muslim lands. A foreign policy in Iraq based on false claims of WMD and in Afghanistan on the blind following of George Bush’s “crusade” against Islam.
In the words of Malcom X these were "The chickens are coming home to roost". An ill thought of foreign policy foray had led to this moment. This is not to denigrate the victims.
These should have been moments for political contemplation and introspection, what had gone so horribly wrong that four men born and raised in the UK would do such a thing. This was the least the government and those that have followed owed to the victims.
This was too much to expect from a political class and system more concerned with using this moment to push through policies on the Muslim community, rather than accepting any level of blame. If 9/11 had been “A good day to bury bad news” , then 7/7 became a good excuse to enforce twenty years of bad policy.
Policies since 7/7 that have seen the Muslim community deliberately degraded, dehumanised, disgraced, disparaged, distrusted, doubted, derided, devalued and disowned.
In the two decades that have followed no aspect of Muslim life has avoided scrutiny. In the words of Nigel Farage Muslims were fifth column in UK society. Three million or more lone wolf sleeper cells ready to pounce into action for no other reason than hating the western way of life.
Twenty years ago my son was yet to be born, however he would suffer the consequences of post 7/7 government policy before he hit the age of 10. Pulled up at school for not wanting to take part in the Christmas nativity play and for his dislike of loud music.
His grandfather who picked him up from school was labelled an extremist we were issued with multi page letter threatening being placed on the Prevent program, deriding us for our lack of British Values, yet the school and headteacher unable to articulate a response when questioned about what exactly these values were.
The gatekeepers of misinformed government policy both unable and unwilling to defend it. This is one in hundreds of examples of Prevent targeting Muslim children.
Muslim women were labelled oppressed for wearing any kind of overtly Islamic dress such as the hijab or niqab a debate that is still ongoing.
There were calls for a British Islam, the attempted (and failed ) division of the Muslim community into moderates and extremists.
The shariah, political Islam and desire for a Caliphate in the Muslim world were labelled as barbaric.
The publishing of cartoons of the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) in France, under so called freedom of speech, not to engage debate about Islam but to insult Muslims.
The burning of the Quran, in the UK and abroad.
The constant need for Muslims to justify their existence in a country where most of them were born.
The abandonment of multiculturalism for muscular liberalism to enforce the assimilation of Muslims into British society.
All of this and much more, whilst ignoring the causal factors of 7/7.
Twenty years on and today’s statement from Kier Starmer shows nothing has been learnt
“Those who tried to divide us failed. We stood together then and we stand together now – against hate and for the values that define us of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.”
There are still divisions within British society and they are as a direct result of government policy and media scapegoating. Last years Southport riots show the level of mistrust British society now holds for Muslims, the murder of children results within hours to the burning of mosques.
British society or large parts of it have been radicalised to an extent that they are almost awaiting am excuse to riot on the streets.
Starmer like those before him still fail to accept the link between foreign policy and 7/7, arrogantly assuming it was all about values and nothing else. The same failures now seeing thousands of people turning up to the shores of Britain seeking asylum.
Twenty years on the Muslim community is still standing.
The calls for Muslim unity and a Caliphate are resonating with more and more people.
Muslim women still refuse to give up the hijab.
British Islam is dead.
No one still quite knows what British Values are.
On the contrary
British foreign policy still continues to interfere in the Muslim lands and defends Israel.
The values Starmer so proudly boasts about are now defending the perpetrators of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza.
The facade of the rule of law we are all meant to stand behind doesn’t exist anymore, Palestine has proved that.
The government still refuses to listen to reasonable voices amongst the British people calling for it to stop defending and arming the Zionists, like they did with Iraq.
Freedom of speech doesn’t exist if it impacts a foreign army committing genocide.
The government continues to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Twenty years on and nothing has really been learnt.
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