Last week terror struck in Britain - but there were also initiatives that could counter the despair which leads to terrorism.
A dear friend was in one of the London Underground trains hit by the terrorists’ bombs on 7 July. “I was between Kings Cross and Russell Square when the explosion occurred,” she wrote, “but as I was at the back I escaped uninjured along the tracks, with lots of other people. It is a dreadful shock but there was such a good spirit among all the passengers in the carriage I was in; people stayed calm and managed to defuse the tension with humorous banter. I feel really lucky to have escaped unscathed and appreciate all that London Underground and the police did.”
Another friend was in his office in Russell Square when he heard the loud crump of the explosion which blew the roof off a tourist bus, killing 13 people on board. At least 50 people lost their lives and 700 were injured in the attacks.
With the suspicion that an al-Qaeda cell was responsible, Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid, chairman of Britain’s Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony, stated that the “terrorist attacks in London find no justification in Islam”. “No school of Islam allows the targeting of civilians or the killing of innocents,” he declared. He quoted a Sura from the Qur’an: “He who has killed an innocent soul, it is as if he had killed all humanity.”
We grieve for the victims, their families and loved ones—just as Americans wept for the loss of their loved ones after 9/11, and Australians for the victims of the Bali bombings; just as Spaniards did for the victims of the Madrid train bombings, and Iraqis for the innocent families killed in the war to oust Saddam Hussein; just as Asians did for their loved ones killed in the tsunami tragedy; and Africans for the victims of the scourge of poverty and HIV/AIDs in their continent.
The world is brought together in times of suffering. It has been moving to receive emails and phone calls from friends across the world following the London bombings, including Muslims in Egypt and Lebanon. Solidarity and community prevail, and assuage our reactions towards the bombers.
The recent days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Londoners. First there was Bob Geldof’s great rock festivals, supporting Africa in the campaign to “make poverty history”. Then the elation at the news that London had won the bid for the Olympic Games in 2012. The euphoria was snuffed out the following day by the horror of the terrorist attacks, coinciding with the G8 summit in Gleneagles. But there was also gratitude that the summit resulted in fresh promises of billions of dollars in aid to Africa, and even signs of a greater concern about global warming in the Bush administration.
In the midst of these events, I attended a “Business Action for Africa” conference in London, initiated by Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa. Paul Boateng, the Ghanaian who was a British cabinet minister and is now the UK’s High Commissioner in South Africa, was in the chair when someone slipped him a note. He punched the air in delight to announce that London had won the Olympic Games. The delight was in keeping with the upbeat tone of the conference. Among the 300 participants from all over Africa, a speaker declared, “We need to shock the world with the good news coming out of Africa”, rather than the stereotypical images of poverty, disease and death.
A remarkable film, Africa: open for business, by American journalist Carol Pineau was screened. It showed case studies from across the continent of how African entrepreneurs, from Nigeria to Somalia, Kenya to Botswana, Zambia to Lesotho, are making good and standing tall (www.africaopenforbusiness.com).
There is perhaps a clue here to addressing the desperate motivations of the terrorists. For if we are to build a world that is free from hate, terrorism and war, then we need to build a world of justice, hope and encouragement, of initiative, investment, and integrity— a world that moves beyond despair and desperate martyrdoms and murders.
We remain in a permanent war – against evil, including in ourselves. It is difficult for any of us who might regard ourselves as victims to turn the searchlight inwards, to ask how we ourselves might have done better. For the war on terrorism cannot possibly be won without dealing with the gross injustices, and the selfish materialism of the West, that give rise to terrorism.
NOTE: Individuals of many cultures, nationalities, religions, and beliefs are actively involved with Initiatives of Change. These commentaries represent the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Initiatives of Change as a whole.
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