London 7/7: 9 Years On and the Threat ISIS Poses to the UK

In the introduction to my MA dissertation, I spoke of how every person alive at the time of the attack on the Twin Towers back in 2001 remembers what they were doing when they heard the news. Even if you wanted to forget, it's virtually impossible and in a smaller scale but equally important set of events, 7/7 is burnt into the memory of those who lived through it, particularly those of us living in the UK.

In the early morning rush of commuters on the 7th of July 2005, four coordinated suicide attacks took place within the heart of London on public transport- three on trains in key locations and one on a bus in Tavistock Square. Reportedly, close to 60 people (including the four suicide bombers) died, as well as approximately 700 people left with, thankfully, non fatal injuries.

Via The Guardian

 

At the time, I was only 14 and was participating in our school sports day whereby every single member of the staff and student body was off school premises and having a good day at the local sports centre. I remember slipping in the mud while playing football and after brushing myself off, checking to see if my phone was still intact. I flipped open my phone to find a message from my elder brother. It read something along the lines of, "There have been bombing in London. Stay calm and stay safe."

 

I remember showing a teacher and a few people around me, and soon, others too were receiving calls and texts from friends and family. Those with parents who commuted were frantically attempting to get hold of them and parents were urging their children to get back home immediately. The head teacher gathered everyone to tell us what had happened and for the first time in my seven years at that school, absolute silence engulfed us all. The shock of what had happened had chilled us all to the bone.

I like to think that we have moved on with our lives and have subsequently learnt from what happened on that day. We’ve fared off much better than our American counterparts as our headlines were not all plastered with news pieces commemorating the day. Though the few years after the attacks felt a little difficult to deal with, the British community has proved itself to be aware of the difference between regular, law abiding Muslims and those who have been radicalised and brainwashed by Islamist hate preachers.

The only issue now, and this is the crux of the matter, hate preachers are regaining a following within the UK. Last week, several moderate Imam's and keyfigures in British mosques have spoken out to stop people from travelling toIraq and Syria to perform Jihad with the latest terrorist organisation in theregion, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  There is a growing fear of youth being brainwashed into thinking that it is their duty to fight alongside these terrorists to create an Islamic Caliphate, looked over by a supreme leader - otherwise known as Abu Bakr al Baghdady.The irony of such a character declaring himself to be the Caliph of the Muslims is not lost on us.

It must be pointed out that the British government have successfully forced out several of these hate preachers and finally taken the action to prevent them from having a platform to speak from in the UK. Abu Hamza was deported for trials against him, with several counts of terrorism on his head, and the notorious Al Arifi was also banned from entering the country after he had a hand in grooming several youths in Cardiff's Al Manar Centre.

 

The Reality of ISIS, via Instgram @no2isisofficial

The British government would be crazy in thinking that the growing threat of ISIS (now shortened to IS) cannot reach the shores of our little island. Though their military expansion plans border on insane, (with Baghdady supposedly having his eyes on Spain too) we cannot ignore the fact that they have successfully taken hold of major cities in the Middle East, namely in Iraq and Syria. The threat is real and we cannot choose to ignore it and simply think that it will blow over in a while. I mean, wasn't that what we all thought would happen in Syria? It's only been a good three years and few thousand lives.

Today, sympathisers of the brutal murderers who suicide bombed our beloved city have taken the liberty to graffiti the memorials, defacing them on the day of the 9th year anniversary. My fear is that sympathisers will start with small things like this and go on to bigger things if they remain unchecked and monitored. This needs to stop.

Via The Guardian

This is a plea to Britain. We cannot stay silent to these war crimes and against these violations to humanity. We cannot allow those lives to have been lost in vain. We cannot give another chance for terrorism to shake the foundations of our country, nor pollute the minds of our youth. We cannot allow for a repeat of 7/7. We must stand against and condemn the actions of ISIS and all those in support of it.

It's Not My War.

I am not someone who is ‘interested in politics,’ as they say. I struggle to pick a political party and did not want to cast my vote for the Iraqi elections (which was a mere few weeks ago). I now know this was an error, and a duty towards the country which I can now see facing one of the most austere and inhumane takeovers of recent years - if we choose to overlook the U.S. led invasion back in 2003. I know I am not alone in this confession and that there are many others too who have been shook to the core by the happenings in Iraq at the hands of the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS). Biting our fingers and thinking 'we should have had a hand in our own politics' will now get us nowhere. It is our duty to stand up and fight in any way we can, aiding the cause of campaigners against what the BBC has so eloquently pit as a sectarian war between Sunni’s and Shiite’s.

Many Western academics have suggested that one of the highest ranking Shia religious leaders, Sayed Ali Sistani, should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his stance in ensuring that Iraq stayed safe from a civil war such as that we have been seeing in Syria. This peaceful man issued an edict (fatwa) urging all Iraqi’s and not just Shia’s to volunteer and support the army; he advised against the formation of Shia militias but rather uniting with the army against the terrorists whose hostile takeover of Iraq is spreading faster than anticipated, many people rushed into booking flights and rushing over there. As someone who works in the travel industry, it would surprise you to hear of how many people called us up to request one way tickets. Thankfully, this issue was cleared up (after Western media called it “a call to arms after Sunni-led insurgents seized more towns.” – BBC NEWS, 13/06/2014). Now people are asking of their duty towards the country and what they can do to help.

Researching:

The media is constantly reiterating the schisms in Iraq to be a sectarian strife. The same was done with the outbreak of the Syrian civil war; it doesn’t take a genius to see that this is done in order to set two factions against one another and to deepen the wedge between them, making the idea of uniting against the common enemy virtually impossible. However, both Sunni and Shia clerics have issued statements to the Iraqi people to stand as one in the face of ISIS. 

Wake up. Read up on these things and don’t rely solely on the likes of the BBC for your information.

One of the most chilling images I have seen is the following (Yasser Al-Khodor: Reuters)

It shook me to my core. This does not look like a band of misfits who have come together and are merely trying to over throw the newly elected Iraqi government. I am not a huge conspiracy theorist, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that there is a deep agenda behind this. It is too heavily funded. It is too engineered and doctored for ‘insurgents’ to drive up themselves. Question everything, and stop relying on the media to tell you what is happening when it is clear to you.

Reporting Accounts and Social Media:

It can be suggested that the Arab Spring could not have been taken forward had it not been for the work of activists on social media. The world was taken by storm by Twitter and Facebook to organise events, demonstrations and groups dedicated to their cause. The same is happening now.

Hundreds of accounts have been set up, dedicated towards the hate preaching and vile display of actions of ISIS. Some show graphic and disturbing images, while others have links to purchase clothing and going as far as to sell balaclava and gun wielding dolls for children. Thankfully, Facebook has taken some of the pages down, as well as taking the reporting of groups that propagate the ISIS message down. 

Furthermore, several accounts on Twitter have been suspended for furthering the vile messages of ISIS and spreading their terrorising message. The team behind Twitter seemed to take these reports seriously and took action in suspending said accounts (although they have yet to pull accounts of people selling pro ISIS merchandise, and refusing to comment on it.)

Another way is to participate in sharing posts and pages to raise awareness. The #No2ISIS campaign has hit billions, and with one recent Thunderclap Tweet reaching well over 60k people, it is safe to say – it is making a difference.  The selfie and hash tag was featured on Aljazeera online, with links and images of many people participating.

These small things make a difference. Do not underestimate the small things which effectively add to the impact of our cause to stand up and make our voices heard.

Financial Aid:

As is to be expected, there is always help for those who need it. There are many trustworthy organisations which have sent out details for how to send over money for aid, one of them being this following (and as a group, we visited their organisation in Iraq and can confirm their suitability for such a cause.)

My message is this: in a time where information is freely accessible, do not blindly follow or accept what you are told to think. Question everything, participate in everything and make your voice heard. As Imam Ali (as) has said, speak the truth, even if your voice shakes. Make it your duty to stand up in the face of tyranny. Rise up and do what little you can from your side to say no to ISIS and those who support it.