Thursday 7 July was the first suicide bombing in Britain itself - 'suicide
bombing' in its modern sense of the indiscriminate killing of civilians by a
terrorist willing to kill herself or himself in the act of destruction. The four suicide terrorist attacks were followed by four more attempted attacks on 21 July. All the indications are that there will be further al-Qaeda
atrocities, perhaps even more serious in their severity, unless some solution is
found. Given the nature of the crime, no penalty is going to dissuade a
potential bomber.
What we need to know is how and why someone comes to decide to carry out such an appalling act. Only then can we attempt to find a set of measures that will reduce the chances of such decisions being made in the future.
BRAINWASHING AND REALITY
The most common explanation is that the bombers have been 'brainwashed' by al-Qaeda masterminds into carrying out evil acts foreign to their true natures.
This protects the memory of the person who the family still love and respect. For society, matters are simplified: find the "preachers of hatred" and stop them from doing what they are doing.
For Government, this "explanation" shifts attention conveniently from the realities of British foreign policy to the evils of al-Qaeda manipulation.
The problem we are confronting is not the lies that al-Qaeda tells, but the truths that it tells.
At the root of the al-Qaeda insurgency is the reality of Britain's role in the world.
THE BOMBERS THEMSELVES
What do we know about the 7/7 bombers? That, according to one friend of theirs, the roots of the plot lie in long sessions they held together watching
videos of anti-Muslim atrocities, and armed Muslim resistance, around the world. (Media Review, 17 July).
The most plausible, statement of responsibility describes the bombings as revenge for British participation in massacres in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Media Review, 8 July)
The lead bomber left behind a video in which he explained his motivation as defence of Muslims around the world suffering at the hands of British foreign policy. (Media Review, 2 September)
The 21/7 bombers are engaged in just the same kinds of video watching sessions:
'One of the men in the failed terror attacks in London on 21 July has claimed the bomb plot was directly inspired by Britain's involvement in the Iraq war. In a remarkable insight into the motives behind the alleged would-be bombers, Hussain Osman, arrested in Rome on Friday, has revealed how the suspects watched hours of TV footage showing grief-stricken Iraqi widows and children alongside images of civilians killed in the conflict. He is alleged to have told prosecutors that after watching the footage: "There was a feeling of hatred and a conviction that it was necessary to give a signal - to do something." '
' "Religion had nothing to do with this. We watched films. We were shown videos with images of the war in Iraq. We were told we must do something big.
That's why we met," he said.' (Media Review, 31 July)
REALISM AND DENIAL
After the bombings, Tony Blair appointed certain Muslim 'leaders' to report back on measures to prevent future atrocities.
The Muslim taskforce came back with recommendations he has done his best to erase from the record. The seven taskforce subgroups (made up of Muslim MPs, peers, academics and community leaders) 'all feel that British foreign policy, especially Mr Blair's support for the Iraq war, has fuelled resentment.'
They proposed a Royal Commission to inquire into the bombings in two stages.
- first, an examination of the bombings themselves.
- second, 'an exploration of wider issues, such as the role of foreign policy in radicalising the terrorists, and whether victims of the bombings received speedy and adequate financial compensation and support.' (Media Review, 17 September)
The Government has doggedly
denied that the terrorism is linked to the war in Iraq in particular. This denial of the obvious has had great success with the British media, but the public at large remain entirely realistic about the national security impact of the war in Iraq.
A CHRONOLOGY OF REALISM
07 July: First suicide bombings in London. 52 people die, as well as the four bombers. A statement from al-Qaeda claims revenge for massacres in Iraq and Afghanistan.
10 July: Sunday Times publishes a joint Home Office/Foreign Office report 'Young Muslims and Extremism', which identifies British foreign policy as a major contributor to Muslim extremism in Britain.
18 July: The Chatham House Report blames British participation in the "war on terrorism", and the war in Iraq in particular, for the failure to diminish the terrorist threat in Britain.
19 July: The Guardian discovers that 64 % Britons place some of the responsibility for the London bombs on Tony Blair.
20 July: British intelligence warned in June 2005, weeks before the attack, that Iraq provided 'motivation' and 'focus' for would-be terrorists in Britain.
21 July: Second suicide bombings attempted in London. No casualties.
24 July: The first sign of Government wavering on the link to Iraq. Jack Straw says: "It is impossible to say for certain".
25 July: The Daily Mirror finds that 85 % of Britons think that the war in Iraq was to some degree a cause of the July bombings.
26 July: Tony Blair shifts his position: 'I can see how these people use these issues to recruit people', but still denying that the war has increased the risk.
28 July: MI5 website links Iraq to the threat of terrorism.
31 July: Hussain Osman, a 21/7 bomber is reported in the British media to have confessed that Iraq was a major motivation for the bombings.
5 August: Tony Blair announces new terror laws - to distract attention from the link with Iraq, in our view.
28 August: The Observer publishes another part of the 'Young Muslims and Extremism' Report, where Foreign Office permanent under-secretary Michael Jay acknowledges
that British foreign policy in driving 'Muslim extremism' in Britain.
1 September: Al-Jazeera broadcasts an al-Qaeda video featuring Mohammed Sidique Khan, believed to be the leader of the 7/7 cell, in which he blames British foreign policy for the actions he is about to undertake.
1 September: Ken Clarke, former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, opens his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party with a speech on Iraq, arguing that the war in Iraq is making Britain less safe.
5 September: Former Tory health secretary Stephen Dorrell and former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont support Ken Clarke's argument that the war in Iraq is making Britain less safe.
14 September: Blair's Muslim taskforce reports back, asking for a Royal Commission into the 7/7 bombings, and blaming British foreign policy.
27 September. The FT publishes a poll of British businesses taken in June, before the bombings, which found that 83 per cent of respondents felt the war with Iraq had increased the terrorist threat.
30 September: A poll of the capital by the Greater London Authority finds that only 8 per cent of Londoners believe there was no connection between the war in Iraq and the July bombings.