Thoughts from London

London terror attacks: When will they ever learn?
“Black September” and “Black Friday” are names given to tragic and horrific events in the history of conflict and terrorism. They are peculiar to the Arab world.

Now Britain has its own “Black Thursday” after the first ever suicide bombings in Western Europe on July 7. Two weeks later an abortive attempt was made to repeat the tragic happenings of that day.
Thursday has now been etched in the psyche of the British people, particularly the security establishment.

So last Thursday London was again overwhelmed with a heavy security presence. Armed police and special forces personnel prowled the streets and train stations looking for potential suicide bombers, occasionally stopping Asian youth or searching their bags.

If such a heavy security presence is intended to assure the public that the state is bent on protecting them, it will not be much of an assurance if this is to happen only on Thursdays.

It would be puerile to believe that suicide bombers operate only on Thursdays and lie low the rest of the week preparing themselves for martyrdom.

Those who use mobile-phone technology and other accoutrement of modern science are surely not that foolish to confine terrorism to a particular day of the week.

Since mobilising and employing such a huge security force costs something like £45 million a day, it is hardly likely that the government will keep this up indefinitely.

Besides the enormous cost, it drains the resources of surrounding areas from which personnel are drawn to protect Londoners. So any terrorist planner and suicide bomber worth his martyrdom would target an area outside London –perhaps a tourist area such as Brighton or Blackpool — or bide their time until the security alert is lowered and life returns to something like what it used to be.

So this highly visible security presence that resulted in the killing of an innocent young Brazilian said to be by specially-deployed armed forces men and not by police, is only temporary and a gesture more than anything else.

I suppose politicians here speak and write nearly as much rubbish as our own kind, though those here are, by and large, more morally upright than some of them over there.

Last year the Blair government was trying to justify the issue of national identity cards to those living in Britain. One of the forceful arguments adduced by government was that this would help fight terrorism.
When it was pointed out that though Spain issues identity cards that did not stop the Madrid train bombings, Blair and ministers pooh-poohed the argument.

Despite the earlier criticism, the government has not dropped the idea and any legislation might have easier passage now. But what is interesting is that it is now admitted it would not have stopped the suicide bombings here.

Of course it would not have. Identity cards might have helped trace individuals like the documents found at the scenes of the bombings and mobile phone calls helped trace them. But that was post-facto.
Earlier Prime Minister Blair and his clique blamed Al Qaeda for the terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere. Osama bin Laden was the new Satan Bush and Blair were warring against.

Last Thursday, bin Laden’s deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri issued a video clip in which he promised more mayhem in Britain and the US. Having earlier blamed Al Qaeda for everything including the bad weather, now it is claimed that Al Qaeda is trying to cash in on the terrorist handiwork of others.

The great Indian chief Geronimo was correct — white man does speak with forked tongue. And how forked it is we should see before long when several new anti-terrorism laws are introduced before the year is out.
Among them is legislation to stop radical clerics from preaching militancy in the UK. This, however, is intended to stop some Muslim clerics who, the authorities believe, have used mosques to preach radical messages of hate and jihad to the young, converting them to militancy.

Though the target might be the Muslim community, the government cannot, for obvious reasons, legislate against a particular community.
One provision of the intended laws will make the promotion and glorification of martyrdom an offence.

This, no doubt, is because some Islamists believe that suicide bombers and those who sacrifice themselves for a religious or national cause are martyrs who will receive their just rewards in heaven.

But are Muslims the only group engaged in suicide attacks or preach martyrdom for those who commit suicide while killing and maiming others?
Surely not! Shortly after the 7/7 suicide bombings here, when the finger of suspicion pointed at Muslims, there were those ( including some from the media) who directed public attention to the Tamil Tigers who have made suicide killings a fetish and used this technique to assassinate two national leaders and almost killed another.

Even before the recent mindless attacks, when Muslims were being targeted after 9/11, there were those who asked why the British authorities were ignoring the activities of the Tigers here when the organisation has been outlawed for the past several years.

Now some in the Muslim community here are watching intently to see what the British authorities are going to do when the LTTE comes to commemorate its own Martyrs’ Day.

In the Wanni, Mahaveer Day is observed on November 27 with LTTE leader Velupillai Pirihaparan addressing the Tamils. It is observed here on the following Sunday, if it falls on a weekday. The heroes including suicide-killers who fell, are remembered during the day long commemoration when the local Mahaveer Anton Balasingham addresses the multitude and videos of various LTTE military victories and suicide attacks are sold to the enthusiastic and impressionable young.

This is very much in the style of the Iranian-Hizbollah that initiated suicide attacks and martyrdom in recent times and also video-taped them and other military attacks to help recruit new cadres.

It is known that the LTTE has done the same including screening such videos in schools here on the pretext of promoting cultural events. It is known that protests were made to British authorities following such screenings.

Now it is being asked whether British authorities will act against the LTTE too if they come to commemorate Heroes Day and for funding a banned organisation by selling videos and other promotional material that venerate the organisation in violation of British law.

All these years, some Muslims say, they have been the target of public abuse and official sanction. But those who made suicide bombings a fine art have been untouched by the British authorities. If they continue to do so despite their claims to fight terrorism anywhere, then the British will be guilty of racial and religious bias.

That would be detrimental to the post 7/7 efforts to reinvigorate the dialogue between British authorities and Muslim community leaders and young Muslims.

The locally-born or bred persons suspected of being the 7/7 suicide bombers and the abortive attempt later, were a rude awakening for the British authorities and the people.

Up to now they have been lax in fighting terrorism because it always happened elsewhere. The lessons from these dreaded happenings, even if read, were never taken to heart.

Those who were trained in, or guilty of, violence at home found refuge in this country with few questions asked. If now the British do not learn their lessons and act appropriately, they would have nobody to blame but themselves.

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