London (suicide) bombers

[jmbejdl]

Hi all,

I'm not sure how much those of you outside the UK will have seen of this, so I thought I'd post here. It appears that all the bombers in London were British Asians from West Yorkshire (this is no great surprise to me having grown up in the area and having prior experience of some of their fanatical elements). It also appears that some or all of them were probably suicide bombers.

Some of you may have noticed that we were caught up in a police anti-terrorist raid on a house a short distance from the office yesterday (I put a comment in the shout box thing at the time). They cordoned off a huge area near the local mosque and evacuated hundreds of people before carrying out a controlled explosion. It turns out that the house here was the bomb making factory and we were lucky that the office was a little way outside the security cordon (and danger area had the explosives gone up).

The area is rather tense today to say the least. The local muslims seem to be conspicuously absent (I guess they're afraid of reprisals), Leeds train station was crawling with police, some armed (that might not seem like much to some others, but seeing armed police on patrol in Britain is strange to say the least), and I've already seen groups of george cross wearing skinheads in the area. Much as I dislike Islam and despise the bombers, I'm sure that the majority of muslims here are completely innocent and I pray that our home-grown nationalist thugs aren't going to start causing problems.

I think that the community here in Burley (which is very mixed ethnically) and other parts of Leeds and West Yorkshire could benefit from your prayers, though I put this here rather than the prayer forum because my main intention was to let others know what is happening. At least the police seem to be getting somewhere with this investigation, but the bombers appear to have cheated justice by blowing themselves up. I only pray that the victims and their families can get some peace despite the fact that it looks unlikely anybody will be made to pay for the crimes in London.

Lord have mercy.

James

 

[Silouan]

Thanks for the update, it is nice to hear a personal perspective and not simply a media spin.  I follow European news (more so than American!) as I have a sister living in Germany and will soon be traveling to Europe as well... alas not many Americans seem to follow EU happenings, and even many same to be blase about these recent bombings (working retail I meet a lot of people each day that seem to always share their thoughts with me, so I get an interesting view of what the average American seems to think).  There was also this constant talk about a backlash in America after Sept. 11th, but I remember reading a newspaper article maybe six months after the attacks saying that the only hate crime to rise significantly were those committed by muslims. 

Prayers continuing for the UK...

 

[chris]

Very interesting information! Please feel free to keep all of us in touch with developments (as well as anyone else In the UK who wants to do so).

Have you heard of any local reprisals done in the UK? Are Orthodox of Middle Eastern descent nervous?

After 9/11, it was brought to my attention that I resemble one of the terrorists we were looking for (especially now since I grew a full beard instead of a goattee). Since that time, at least 80% of the time I have been hassled at airports---which is OK because security is just trying to get their job done.

It just occurred to me...maybe I should pin a wooden cross to my shirt to help others relax around me when at airports. I know in Boston many of our clergy who wear an anderi when off campus also wear a pinned cross to help protect them from troublemakers and similar ruffians.

Sorry about the rambling. Please know I am praying for calm tempers and cool heads to prevail.

 

[jmbejdl]

Very interesting information! Please feel free to keep all of us in touch with developments (as well as anyone else In the UK who wants to do so).

Have you heard of any local reprisals done in the UK? Are Orthodox of Middle Eastern descent nervous?

After 9/11, it was brought to my attention that I resemble one of the terrorists we were looking for (especially now since I grew a full beard instead of a goattee). Since that time, at least 80% of the time I have been hassled at airports---which is OK because security is just trying to get their job done.

It just occurred to me...maybe I should pin a wooden cross to my shirt to help others relax around me when at airports. I know in Boston many of our clergy who wear an anderi when off campus also wear a pinned cross to help protect them from troublemakers and similar ruffians.

Sorry about the rambling. Please know I am praying for calm tempers and cool heads to prevail.

There apparently have been a few small incidents here (in Leeds) though I don't know any of the details. The police presence is still very high, though, so I expect that anything that does happen is likely to be a few days from now at least. One thing I have heard, though, is that our wonderful neo-Nazi British Nationalist Party has already produced an election leaflet with the image of the bombed bus above a slogan that says something like 'Maybe now it's time to start listening to the BNP'. Sick, heh?

I don't now any middle eastern Orthodox here so i can't say whether they are worried or not. It wouldn't surprise me, though. I've certainly heard of priests being hassled because they were mistaken for muslims in the past, but then I've heard of Sikhs getting the same abuse too. One thing you can say about skinheads is that they live up to an anti-Nazi slogan I once saw in Germany 'Nazis - more hair than brains'!

It's still very quiet here. I've seen few people on the streets and, as the majority around our office are Muslim (probably because the mosque is so near) that probably means they are keeping their heads down. I only hope that their fears don't prove justified.

James

 

[observer]

Do you know how things are in Bradford?  Just interested, having lived there for a number of years, and taught ESL.

 

[Hadel]

Thank you very much for the information and update....this is wonderful from you.

God rest the victims soul and God have mercy for the UK.

As always, no matter the race and religion, it is the innocent who get caught up in the middle from politics, racism and especially pure evil hatred.

I pray for the UK and the world for True ever lasting peace.

In Christ,
Hadel

 

[jmbejdl]

Do you know how things are in Bradford? Just interested, having lived there for a number of years, and taught ESL.

I'm afraid I haven't heard much from Bradford, but I know the place well. (I grew up in Pudsey, which is kind of the border town between the two cities). I'd imagine that it's fairly tense over there too, given that at least one of the bombers appears to have been Bradford born, but it's just a guess.

I heard this morning that there have been over 100 race hate incidents against muslims since last week's bombings. Thankfully none of them seem to have been major, but I can see why the muslims are feeling rather beleaguered here. One thing I have noticed, and which I find appalling, is that many of the muslims I walk past on my way to and from work appear to want to look away and hide their faces. I constantly feel like saying, 'It's OK, I'm not going to blame you or attack you', but they're all strangers, so I don't.

Hadel,

Thanks for your reply and for your prayers. They are appreciated and I echo your sentiments entirely.

James

 

[jmbejdl]

Just thought people might find the following BBC report from Leeds interesting. They're focusing on Beeston (which is the other side of the city from Burley) but I'd say that what's true there also appears to be true here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4680237.stm

James

 

[StephenG]

My understanding is that three of the 'terrrorists' were British Asians from the West Yorkshire area and one a Jamacian convert from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Luton in Bedfordshire was were a car used by the group was found and three controlled explosions made by the Bomb Disposal squad and military grade explosive subsequently found. Luton has a high level of British Asians living there.

Birmingham, also an area with many British Asians, had a recent terrorist scare with the city centre cleared of 20,000 during a busy Saturday night, I understand. A £2million loss to the local economy.

What is clear is that the various British police and security organisations are pulling all the stops out. But I guess they have some problems of insufficient 'human intelligence' due to few assets that can speak or mix within the various communities that such terrorists inhabit. (Oh, dear have breached BBC guidelines by referring to them as 'terrorists').

 

[StephenG]

It now transpires that the explosive used was Acetone Peroxide, a substance seemingly used by other terrorists of the same mindset. An Egytian PhD student from Leeds University - a chemistry buff - was sort and has been arrested in Cairo, having left the UK only days before the murderous attack.

No doubt he will find the Egyptian police a little more direct in their questioning than their politically correct British counterparts.