General Chat

Nothing can be done Nell - there will always be terrorism - like you said on an earlier thread, it's nothing new. Debby

Fi (and Lilly - new cat?) Nice to hear from you, but a sad occasion. I know there are people from Hertfordshire who died, but none that I knew. I went on a little trip round my ancestors' old haunts about a month ago - I went to Kings Cross, Aldgate and Edgware Road. I can't understand extreme fanaticism, its very hard to know what can be done to prevent it. nell

I heard today and it is in our local paper, that one of the victims (innocent person) died in one of the bombings lived in my road. R I P!!! Fi

Jane - I do take your point. I was listening to a specialist on terrorism on the radio this morning and he mentioned the Cult aspect, willing martyrdom, being respected in the Aslamic world, revenge (for Iraq/Palestine etc), righteous act, pathalogical virus which can be transmitted through the internet, and so on... There were so many reasons given for suicide bombers and their actions, how can we tackle all these problems? Lily

Ann, How terrible ... I hadn't heard that one of them had a child. My goodness, I just can't imagine how that poor child will cope - better he doesn't find out perhaps. As for how can we stop it, I don't really think we can. All we are able to do is to 'include' people and try to value them as individuals. I'm not talking about some sort of government initiative, I mean everyday people ... ones you meet during your daily lives. After all, how do we know what others are really feeling? Just a smile, exchange of a few words or giving way to another driver ... little things might make a difference. Would be most interested if anyone else has ideas. Regs Jane

I knew a few of us, self included, thought there was the possibility that the bombers may be British born and bred. How sad that they felt they had to act in this way towards the country that had opened their doors to their parents/g.parents. Terrible to realise you have lost your child in the London bombs but then to discover your child was responsible for this outrage and the sorrow, hurt, devastation caused to so many families. To realise you did not know your own child - how does one cope with that? Did it ever even cross the minds of these bombers what they would do to their own families, who, presumably they loved? One has even left his own child without a father and a terrible legacy and burden for the rest of his life. Fanaticism - how do we deal with it? Ann

The enemy within.

Well, look at all our own chavs - if they had some belief in something - anything - perhaps they would be behaving in some extreme manner. People, particularly the young and particularly men!! want/need to feel they belong to a group, something, anything so that they have status. We have disenchanted easily conned young men who have the facilities, encouragement and the extreme beliefs to be pawns in outrageous acts. Personally I think if they love the extreme type of Islam regime then they should be carted off to Afghanistan and they can work on their religious beliefs there without the benefit of dole money, television, music, trendy bars and clothes.

Lily, You would have thought so, wouldn't you ... but can we be so sure? Success in business doesn't necessarily mean the family was 'stable' .... often busy men neglect their families, emotionally that is ... money is one thing. And also, I think I was meaning the feeling of not belonging to either culture - the one you were born into and the one in which you live ... rather than 'blame' for parental 'neglect'. If you think about it, parents generally bring up their kids, to the best of their abilities, by their standards and 'culture'. My suggestion is that if the background culture is not the same as the one they're living in, it could cause a 'disconnect', a feeling of identity confusion and lack of belonging to either. As for 'motivation', different things move different people - who knows if feeling 'apart' and 'powerless', especially at a young age (it's usually the young people who get sucked in) when you are wanting to 'change the world' would be enough. It wouldn't have been for me. Maybe it's all a bit deep for this time of the morning ... I just wonder if we, as a society, could do/have done more to prevent these 'lost souls' feeling this way and ultimately in the worst case, falling prey to extremists. Or maybe I'm just being an open-toed-sandal-toting lentil-eater? Regs Jane

Jane - one of these young men was the son of a hard-working businessman who surely would have given his children security, stability and feeling of identity? I agree where young, unemployed black men are from broken families and unstable homes, they would be vulnerable to recruitment to such a terrible action but there HAS to be a stronger motive to make them feel that this is their destiny, surely? Lily

Lily, Don't think 'faith' has much to do with this ... it is a perverted version of it that has been used to dupe impressionable and vulnerable young men into taking part in an 'extremist' atrocity. They were merely pawns in the brutal and irrational game. Done a lot of thinking about this and heard an interesting report last night about the type of person susceptible - someone 'on the margins', feeling no adherance to any particular societal group. So, if you think about it this could apply to the child of an immigrant - where that child cannot wholly identify with their parents' background and does not feel part of the indiginous (British) culture. If I've expressed that right, I believe it means that society has failed these confused people .... that means us. We need to heal these breaches in order to stop more British boys falling prey to these evil terrorists. Interested to hear what others think. Regs Jane

...and we all know where men keep their brains!

Yes, Sue, I thought that - suicide bombers take no ID with them. Unfortunately these young men are indoctrinated to believe that they are bringing glory to their families (dying for the Cause) and some families (abroad) are even paid for their sacrifice!! The bombers also believe that there will be seven vestal virgins waiting for them on the 'other side'! How can we (not of their Faith) expect to understand them? Lily

At least it means three people who died were not innocent victims, but misguided brainwashed fanatics.

On the BBC news it said that 3 arrived at Kings Cross to be met by the one that came from Luton. One definitely died in the bus, two they inferred had died in trains and one they inferred was buried with the people who have not yet been recovered. The bags of those in the bus and two on the trains were found with their addresses and identities in and that is how they traced them to Yorkshire. They were also all four visible on CCTV at Kings Cross. One further man has been arrested in leeds and taken to London. It also inferred that they were British Pakistanis. And just because they were living in leeds does not make the people of Leed responsible for their actions. Ann Glos

I used to work at Brudnell road school more than likely where 1 of the b*****ds went to school.Not far from where the police where today. Just makes me sick to my stomach to know that he could/would have been born in England and he could do this terrible thing. They all must have been planning to just place the bombs down and run because suicide bombers DO NOT carry I.D. Sue

HI ALL JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THERE WERE FOUR PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE BOMBING IN LONDON. THEY WERE SEEN GETTING ON THE TRAIN FROM LUTON, THEIR CAR IS STILL AT LUTON. LUTON TRAIN STATION IS STILL CORDONED OF AND THE POLICE HAVE DONE 3 CONTROLED EXPLOSIONS ON THE CAR. THEY WERE GOING TO OPEN THE TRAIN STATION BUT THEN AT ABOUT 6.30pm THEY SAID THEY HAD FOUND SOMETHING ELSE AND HAD TO KEEP THE STATION CLOSED. THEY SAY THAT THEY HAD FOUND ID WITHIN THE CAR AND BELIVE THAT 3 OF THE BOMBERS ARE DEAD BUT 1 IS STILL ON THE LOSE. DON`T KNOW IF ANY-ONE KNEW THAT AS I HAVE JUST HEARD THAT FROM MY MUM WHO RANG ME TO LET ME KNOW AS SHE LIVES JUST OUTSIDE LUTON. HOPE THEY FIND THE LITTLE S**T. LYN.

Sue love DO NOT BE ASHAMED<<< They could have been from any place in UK,,and feel sure none of us would feel like that ,how could you know that when even the relatives of one of them didnt know according to the report , and he was reported missing ,,,,,!!!!!! Kay,

People have to live somewhere, its unfortunate that your hometown has got caught up in some unpleasant-ness (trying to be a bit diplomatic here) I have no sympathy whatever for those B*stards) that caused the atrocities in london, last week.... Sheila--------------Allegedly......... Bob Strange, IF they were suicide bombers, then surely they would have left last minute letters,to their families........? if NOT then surely they must have got caught up in their own blasts......Allegedly

hi, i know what you are all saying, but its horrible enough to think they have been living in this country. but it makes your blood run cold when you hear they live locally. BUT sounds like arrests have been made, so lets hope they clear the lot out ! sue.