The Tragedy of Consequence

The tragedy of yesterday’s events can only be described as truly horrific.

The tragedy of yesterday’s events can only be described as truly horrific. Trying to think of the mind-set that it must take to carry out such an atrocity can only lead to one conclusion, this was a desperate act carried out by desperate people. As the whole of the country follows the latest reports, it is becoming increasingly evident that it is the Muslims who are being targeted as likely suspects. Labels such as ‘Islamic Jihadists’ and ‘Extremists’ are being coined by the media to heighten the sense of threat and immediacy. It is the Muslim community however, who are in the greatest shock. Telephone calls are being made from one mosque to another questioning the source of the attack. The one thing on the mind of the whole Muslim population is whether or not this is another Al Qaida attack? It is a natural instinct of people to try and displace blame from themselves as quickly as possible in order to maintain safety. Islamic organisations are responding at lightening speed to assure the public that the Muslim people are not murderers or terrorists. However, if no one knows what the source of the attack is, why should we, as a community, feel forced to condemn the act as if it were our responsibility? Why should we feel the need to condemn a situation which is clearly adverse to the thoughts and practices of 2 million law abiding UK Muslims and 1.6 billion Muslims around the world? It is clear that such stigmatisation is an injustice against a people of an incredibly high moral calibre, and should in no way be allowed to remain. It is a simple fact that Islam does not condone the killing of innocent people, but in fact strongly condemns it. In the Qur’an it says that to take the life of one person, is akin to taking the life of the whole of humanity. Why then, should press releases be issued over the country condemning actions which are openly adverse to the principles of Islam? If Islamic organisations allow the Muslim population to become scapegoats, a climate of fear will be created whereby mistrust and paranoia will pervade every single mosque around the United Kingdom. If this does occur, then mass hysteria will ensue resulting in even more irrational behaviour. In the end, every single Muslim organisation is linked to each other in one way or another, so with that in mind, it would be very easy for the police to link suspects to whoever they like. The Muslim community should therefore stay far away from any kind of vilification of one another just to seem cooperative in the eyes of the UK government. Many organisations may feel the need to review some of their policies regarding other Islamic groups as a self-protection mechanism. The problems with the Anti-Terrorism legislation and policies targeting and criminalising the Muslim community are still there. By changing our policies in order to convince the government and the public that we are not terrorists, we lose everything that we are bound to represent. The Muslim population of this country turn to existing organisations to provide a light from which they can find security and a life full of freedom and liberty. Now is not the time for those who are representing the rights of the Muslims to bend to the desire of the Labour government agenda. Now in fact is the time for every single Islamic organisation to come together and say, that we will not allow ourselves to become victims of this incident, that we will remain true to what we believe and continue our role as honourable and productive members of UK society. It is a tragedy that these bombings took place, it is a tragedy that a situation has arisen which has allowed for these acts to take place, and finally, it is a tragedy that it is the Muslim people who will have to deal with the consequences.