July 7th Attacks: Will London attack mark a turning point for extremism?

Enough is enough

Last Thursday’s horrific attack against London’s public transport systems marked a day of reckoning among Britain’s 1.6 million Muslims, who have been grappling in recent years with rising alienation and extremism among a small minority of younger adherents.

Though details on the bombers origins have yet to be determined, several mosques in Britain were subject to arson attacks or broken windows (a Sikh temple was included, as usual). But a pleasant surprise for Muslims was steadfast support from authorities (at a press conference, one police representative scolded a journalist for using “Islamic” and “terrorist” together) and support from the British public.

“The police have so far been extremely responsible, so has the home secretary,” said Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission. “I surprise myself saying it.” Additionally, the Muslim Council of Britain found a 4 to 1 sympathetic e-mail response after an initial 30,000 hate e-mails were received (and it was later found that all 30,000 came from the same server).

Also, the diverse group of victims included one Shahara Akther Islam, a 20-year old Bangladeshi girl from the East End that has become a symbol of the Muslim community’s grief. At the East London Mosque near Brick Lane, Islam’s father prayed for victim’s families while mosque officials hosted victims stranded in Central London.

So far, the only well known claim of responsibility comes from a shadowy group’s posting to a US-hosted website run by a London based Saudi dissident, leaving open the question of the involvement of native British Muslims. Former London Chief of Police Lord Stevens went further and said British Muslims were “almost certainly” responsible (investigators insist it’s still an open question).

Other analysts have pointed out contradictions in previous condemnations by Muslims of terrorist activity. This time, many Muslims have realised that the oft-worn cloak of “we condemn, but” reactions was getting threadbare (though East End MP George Galloway used it to full effect). The imam of London’s Finsbury Park Mosque (recently reformed by moderates) called for finding the bombers and assisting police as an Islamic imperative.

Also notable was an effort not to overshadow a solidarity in outrage with other Britons with a defensive concern against reprisals against Muslims, along with finding strategies for dealing with politically charged youth. “There needs to be a separation between those who are committing those atrocities and those who are passionate about injustice,” says Shadjareh. “We need to encourage that passion and give them avenues within the civil society to deal with injustices.”

But for now, the immediate reaction will include the results of an emergency meeting of 100 of the country’s top Muslim leaders at the East London Mosque: fatwas against the terrorists. “Those behind this atrocity aren’t just enemies of humanity but enemies of Islam and Muslims” said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain. “The people at the receiving end of this, both as some of the victims of the bombing and victims of the backlash, are Muslims.”

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.