Saturday, July 09, 2005

London's Lebanese shaken with grief
Lebanese living in London expressed their pain and outrage at Thursday's brutal attacks which killed 50 people. One of the bombings occurred in a train in the underground station at Edgware Road, a usually busy street lined with Lebanese restaurants and cafes and a heartland of the Lebanese community in London, killing seven people and wounding 23.
Joseph Sour, a Lebanese restaurant owner who lives above the station described being woken up by the sound of the blast: "I heard the bang and opened my eyes to see the door push against its hinges."
Ramsay, a waiter at Edgware Road's popular Lebanese cafe Al-Dar said: "It's terrible; I'm still in shock. I can't believe they have done this here in this city," said
"Nobody can believe it," echoed Hassan Meselmani, a 26-year-old waiter from the south working at the restaurant Ranoush. "All people of the world were on that bus and on those trains."
Many expressed grief and outrage. One Lebanese woman, Leila, who manages Al-Dar, was almost in tears: "It's really upsetting, innocent people killed for nothing."
"It hurts. It shouldn't be happening. They didn't care for anybody," said Hassan Zaita, a business man from a village near Naqoura. He had walked miles across the city to reach his home in Edgware Road after train services were shut down.
Mr Eid, who had worked as a journalist in Beirut for 30 years before moving to London, said: "We are ready to fight these terrorists. This is our country, this is an attack on us. We have business here, we have family here."
Many Lebanese living in London speculated on the effect the attacks will have on their lives in England, anticipating a new atmosphere of more intrusive policing.
"I think our lives will change, now the police will have to check everybody," said Meselmani.
While others stressed their concern for the country's economy in the aftermath of the bombings, "I feel this blast will affect everyone's future. Lots of people are going to loose their jobs - when there is no security there is no work," said Sour.
With reports of the petrol bombing of a mosque in Leeds surfacing late Thursday night, as well as several cases of serious assault on Muslims and hate-mail sent to many of the country's mosques, there was also a fear of heightened suspicion and hostility towards the country's Arab and Muslim community.
"Everything changed today, things that happened in America will happen here" said Mazer Bachan, a 27-year-old waiter from Sour's restaurant, alluding to the revenge attacks that took place in New York following September 11. "The British are smarter but, it's a big attack, it will be hard to get over. I just hope the casualties are low and things get better," he said.
"I fear more racism, maybe even riots," said Sour, suggesting revenge attacks might spark racially and religiously motivated riots similar to those witnessed in the north of England in May of 2001.
As Sour spoke, a large group gathered across the road to peer into the rear entrance of the underground station where emergency services personnel were gathered. A woman in hijab crossed the road, tears streaming down her face.
"I love this country, I love the people in this country. I can't believe someone has done this," said Meselmani, looking on.
"It's an attack on everyone," said Ranoush's head chef, Hussein. "I don't fear reprisals. The British understand the situation well; they know these people don't represent Islam."





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