7-7: The London Bombings, Islam and and the Iraq War - Softcover

Rai, Milan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745325637 ISBN 13: 9780745325637

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2006

Synopsis

This is the book Tony Blair doesn't want you to read about 7/7.

In February 2003, Tony Blair was warned by British intelligence that the invasion of Iraq would 'heighten' the risk of terrorism in Britain.

In July 2005, al-Qaeda struck in the heart of London. Despite the British Government's increasingly desperate attempts at denial, polls show that an overwhelming majority of people in Britain are convinced that there is a connection between the London bombings and the war on Iraq. A majority of Britons fault Tony Blair himself.

Using secret government documents declassified since the bombings, and leaks from British intelligence, Milan Rai exposes official deceit at the highest levels, and establishes the crucial role of British foreign policy in generating a home-grown version of al-Qaeda. Rai shows how an official report drawn up by the Home Office and Foreign Office in early 2004 identified 'foreign policy' - and the war in Iraq in particular - as a major cause of alienation among young British Muslims.

Examining the backgrounds of the 7/7 bombers, Milan Rai demonstrates that Islam is not to blame. Most importantly, the book shows us how to make sure that this never happens again -- and offers brief obituaries for the 52 people who lost their lives that day.

About this title

About the Author

Milan Rai founded the British branch of Voices in the Wilderness and co-founded the anti-war group ARROW, a London-based direct action and anti-war information group. His two previous books are War Plan Iraq and Chomsky's Politics. In 1993 he was awarded the Frank Cousins Peace Award for Research by the Transport and General Workers' Union.

Reviews

On the anniversary of the July 7, 2005, London subway/bus bombings popularly known as "7/7," peace activist Rai (War Plan Iraq) explores why four young, modestly successful U.K.-born Muslims would massacre fellow citizens by becoming suicide bombers. And did Iraq—despite official rejection of a causal link—have anything to do with it? Rai grounds his meticulous analysis in newspaper accounts, sociological research, the literature on brainwashing, survivors' accounts and the video confession of lead bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan. With sober, conscientious detail, he argues that the men's callous violence and moral delusion were rooted less in al-Qaeda brainwashing than in disaffection and "humiliation" felt for the suffering of Muslim people worldwide at the hands of Western powers or their proxies, particularly in Iraq. This, Rai argues, is central to the proper explanation for their actions, which Blair's administration has resisted, at least publicly. Pointing to leaked internal documents, however, Rai asserts that the British government actually believes that U.S./U.K. aggression in Iraq has increased the threat of domestic terrorism. Though Rai's openly anti-imperialist bias leads predictably to a call for withdrawal from Iraq and paying reparations, he marshals a persuasive amount of grassroots, expert and government opinion spanning the political spectrum in making his case. (July)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0745325637
• ISBN 13: 9780745325637
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208