‘A shocking and rude awakening!’

It was just too shocking and surreal, a rude-awakening and, yes, reality to the "max."

I spent my last day at a job I did for the past three months just the evening before the terrorist attacks began yesterday.

I was joking with a colleague that I hope I would not have to come back to West London in a hurry, since I would be very busy with my journalism studies.

I did not arrive home until about 7 to 8 pm that evening, not knowing of the impending doom that was to become of that same train line, (the Hammersmith and City Line) I used to travel from East to West London every day.

I can only thank God I was spared from the "bloody" mess that occurred just a mere 12 hours away, which left several people dead and scores more seriously and critically wounded. Up to early yesterday afternoon, reports coming in put the figure at ten people dead at the Edgware Road Station and around 40 people altogether believed to have died in the blasts. The description journalists portrayed, that of bloody limbs scattered at the affected tube stations, left a sense of shock and dismay with Londoners.

Scenes of confusion and chaos flicked on TV screens across the UK, while those at home stayed glued to their television sets, trying to make sense of what madness was going on. People who did not venture into Central London yesterday morning, could only sigh with relief, and the ones who escaped carnage and death on the train line, were left with the rude awakening of how real international terrorism is in the UK.

But daunting questions now haunt us — why did they do it, who did it and why do they hate the UK so much? It reminded me only too well of the reactions from New Yorkers after the 9/11 bomb attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001, when they cried, "Why do they hate us so much?"

Indeed, the reactions we received from prime minister Tony Blair who described the attacks as "barbaric" and another UK official, who felt the attacks were a reflection of a lack of respect or regard for humanity or human life, summed up exactly what most Londoners felt against the perpetrators.

The irony of the entire situation is that, while it is felt the attacks may be because the UK had aligned itself with US President George W Bush on the fight against international terrorism, thousands of Muslims and people from every creed, race and religious backgrounds, live on UK benefits, have homes and families in the UK.

Yet, some of them, perpetrate and spread western hatred right here, on UK ground.

So, the big question now then is — how and where do government leaders draw the line?

Jealousy, hatred, or both?

London has been at the forefront of international developments over the past few days, which, I understand, could have caused much jealousy among rivalling international counterparts. It all began with last weekend’s Live 8 concert which Sir Bob Geldof, a UK activist/singer against poverty in Africa, organised and rallied eight countries together to highlight international awareness of poverty in Africa as a lead-up to the G-8 summit now being held in Scotland.

Yesterday’s terrorist attacks wiped the smiles off the face of UK citizens who had been rejoicing following the announcement that it had won the bid to hold the Olympics in 2012. London had won over the rivaling favourite, Paris, who was devastated by its defeat in the Olympic bid.

As Tony Blair got ready to hold serious discussions about climate change, environmental issues and poverty eradication in Africa with the most powerful leaders in the world at the G-8 Summit in Scotland yesterday, the news of explosions, deaths and critically injured in his homeland, sent him hurrying back to London, temporarily abandoning very important discussions that were about to take place.

As Blair described it, the attacks arrived to "coincide with the G-8 Summit." Was that coincidence, or was it orchestrated, is a burning question on the minds of Londoners. Even reports that the train and bus explosions initially started with a power surge, seemed more and more unlikely as the hours passed by.

Terrorist threat from an al Qaeda group in Europe, was the major suspect by the end of the day.

Londoners, like myself, who travel on the underground frequently as we make our way into Central London, could only ask ourselves —" Will they, and when, could they strike next?!"