7/7: Two Decades On - Reckoning with the Past, Reimagining the Future

Monday marked 20 years since the 7/7 London bombings, a devastating moment that shocked the nation with ‘home grown’ terror. A new Netflix documentary, Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers, revisits not only the attacks themselves but the world we were living in at the time: a world still reeling from 9/11, clouded by fear, and defined by a rising tide of Islamophobia.

The documentary, praised for its depth by The Guardian  explores themes that remain painfully relevant: global politics, war, and systemic failures within the police and intelligence services. Most poignantly, it delves into the racial profiling and institutional bias that became entrenched in the aftermath.

As someone from a South Asian background, I remember how quickly public perception shifted. Suddenly, being brown meant being stared at on buses, trains, in queues. Individuality was erased, replaced with suspicion. You weren’t seen as you anymore, you were seen as “the other.”

One moment in the documentary that stood out was survivor Mustafa Kurtuldu’s account of being questioned by journalist Kate Garraway about his Muslim heritage, not long after surviving the bombing. The insensitivity of the exchange has since sparked public calls for a formal apology.

The sense of panic and overreach from authorities didn’t end on July 7th. A week later, another attempted attack sent the capital into chaos. In this tense atmosphere, police shot and killed Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian man, believing him to be a suspect. His death became a tragic symbol of how racial profiling had reached dangerous extremes. Human rights activist Yasmin Khan interviewed in the documentary highlighted this as a stark example of institutional prejudice.

Though the present day may feel safer and more integrated, moments of mass hysteria and “othering” haven’t vanished. Just last summer, we saw race riots erupt, yet the ethnic background of the rioters was rarely discussed in mainstream discourse. Meanwhile, conversations about child grooming gangs are increasingly framed through the lens of religion and ethnicity, further entrenching divisive narratives.

Prejudice doesn’t always roar—it often simmers. That’s why we all have a role to play in actively confronting racism and Islamophobia. The United Nations has recognized this with the establishment of an International Day to Combat Islamophobia, underscoring the urgent need for a global culture rooted in tolerance, mutual respect, and human rights.

7/7 should not just be a day of remembrance—it should also be a reminder. A reminder of how quickly fear can turn into prejudice. Of how easily justice can be clouded by bias. And of how important it is to ensure that “never again” means never again—for anyone.