Sajda Mughal OBE has been an outspoken critic of government policy in the years following the 7/7 terror attack on London (Picture: Sajda Mughal/REX)
The only known Muslim 7/7 survivor has said she is contemplating leaving the country to escape intolerance and Islamophobia.
Sajda Mughal OBE spoke of her dismay at the political climate in the UK as she reflected on the 18th anniversary of the London terror attacks.
The charity leader also told Metro.co.uk how she feared she would die on the Piccadilly Line Tube without being able to say goodbye to her family.
In the aftermath, she traded in her city job to become the chief executive of the JAN Trust, which supports marginalised women and young people and raises awareness of issues including counter-terrorism.
However Ms Mughal now feels that racism and Islamophobia has become ‘normalised’ and she accuses the government of stoking the intolerance with inflammatory words and policies.
‘Extremism and far-right extremism has gone unchecked,’ she said.
‘It has been allowed to grow within our society. Sadly, it feels as if it has become normalised.
‘I hear frequently from Muslim women who speak of their experiences of being targeted, abused or even physically harmed by racists and Islamophobes, whether it be on in public or online.
‘I myself have had distasteful experiences in public, particularly with white males who have verbally abused me on the streets. I know that had I not been a woman of colour they would not have done so.
‘I still continue to hear from Muslim children about some of their horrible racist and Islamophobic experiences in schools from the hands of other students and even some teachers.’
Sajda Mughal gave up a career working for an investment bank to make a change on the ground with the JAN Trust (Picture: Sajda Mughal)
Ms Mughal, 40, a consultant and public speaker who previously worked for the Home Office, has been an outspoken critic of the government’s efforts to tackle radicalisation and extremism. She is a long-standing opponent of the controversial Prevent strategy, which sets out the approach for preventing people from being radicalised and drawn into terrorism.
Today’s anniversary is set against a backdrop of steadily rising hate crime, the majority of which is defined as racially motivated.
In the year ending March 2022, there was a 26% rise on the previous 12 months, according to the Home Office, which says it is ‘uncertain’ if improvements in recording methods are a factor.
The scene at Tavistock Square after the London bombings which claimed 56 lives across the London transport network (Picture: Getty)
‘I have been targeted in the past with death threats and threats of arson,’ Ms Mughal said. ‘I have had police protection and had to move addresses. One man was convicted. Since then the targeted racist and Islamophobic hate towards me has continued on social media. I have noticed this more when I am vocal on issues affecting people of colour and religion.
‘It’s as if society has become emboldened with the age-old stereotype that women of colour and Muslim women should remain “silent” and be submissive. Should you speak up on issues then you’re very likely to face a backlash with threats. I do not like the society the UK has become.
‘So much so I am thinking of leaving the UK.’
Ms Mughal, from north London, referenced a string of recent court cases including that of Vaughn Dolphin, 20, a right-wing extremist convicted of 11 terrorism offences at his sentencing in May 2023.
‘Far right individuals are allowed to be on social media platforms and face no repercussion,’ she said.
Sajda Mughal has reflected on her experience of the London bombings which claimed 56 lives and injured hundreds more (Picture: Getty)
‘Police have even come out publicly stating their concern of the threat of far-right extremism, saying they have seen people engaged in attack plots, attack planning and looking at attacking locations or individuals. There have been the cases of Vaughn Dolphin, Daniel Harries, Paul Dunleavy and the list goes on. I have for years said that the government needs to take far-right extremism seriously or things could get worse but they haven’t listened and unfortunately things have got worse.’
Ms Mughal also highlighted the government’s Illegal Migration Bill and ministers’ comments around issues such as the effort to tackle small boat crossings in the English Channel.
‘The policies it has introduced such as the Immigration Bill have done nothing to encourage community cohesion but in fact have broken down community relationships,’ she said.
‘We have seen how hotels housing innocent migrants have been targeted. Members of the public are brazen in their anti-migrant stance as most happen to be people of colour — they feel emboldened by the government.
‘I’ve noticed such a brazen and hateful attitude towards Muslims offline and online, be it social media, websites or quite simply online shopping platforms such as supermarkets which have stocked halal or Eid products.
‘”Influencers” have made anti-Muslim commentary. We have become a society where this hate has been normalised.
‘There have been politicians who have been found to make racist and anti-Muslim social media posts and commentary and they do not seem to have been held accountable. Until the government cleans up its own act how can we expect it to take the growing threats of extremism seriously?’
Sajda Mughal says she has been left disheartened by Islamophobia and racism in British society (Picture: Sajda Mughal)
The mum of two also relived the day when she set off for work as usual on the Piccadilly line. Aged 22 at the time, she was running late and was unable to get in the first carriage as usual — which she credits for saving her life.
The train was targeted by suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay in the attacks on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus.
‘Ten seconds into the tunnel towards Russell Square there was a loud explosion and the train shook and came to a standstill, the lights went out and the emergency lights came on,’ Ms Mughal said.
‘Black smoke started to fill up the carriages, people were injured. I thought we had hit something or derailed. I would never have thought it was a bomb, in London, and on the very same Tube I’d be on.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan lays a wreath at the July 7 Memorial in Hyde Park on the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2020 (Picture: PA)
‘As time went on I could hear people screaming and shouting, they were banging on the doors. The black smoke got thicker and thicker and I had to cover my face with my blazer as I started to choke.
‘All these years later I realise I went into a state of shock as I remained completely still throughout despite people shaking me asking me if I was ok. I couldn’t respond. We were down there for about 45 to 50 minutes but I can tell you that it seemed like a lifetime.
‘I genuinely thought July 7, 2005 is the day I die. I thought the next train would be leaving King’s Cross and would hit us, there’d be a massive fireball and we’d be burnt alive. I started to think about my family and not having had the chance to say goodbye.
‘It was only when I heard this distant voice coming through the carriages saying, “it’s the police we are coming to get you” that I felt the biggest sense of relief in my life. Eventually we were escorted and taken to safety out of King’s Cross – it had been shut down and was empty and very eerie.
‘The emergency services were desperately trying to attend to those who were seriously injured. I will never forget that voice or what happened that day on July 7, 2005.’
Sajda’s life took a new path after the 7/7 attacks as she swapped a career in the city for a role as a charity leader (Picture: Sajda Mughal)
The most deadly single terror take ever to take place on British soil claimed the lives of 56 people, including the four suicide bombers, and injured hundreds more. The July 7 Memorial in Hyde Park is now the focus for the annual wreath-laying ceremony, which took place at 8.50am today, coinciding with the time of the first terror attack.
The events of 18 years ago are still seared into the survivor’s memory.
‘It’s a traumatic experience that I will never forget,’ she said.
‘Something that I remember as if it happened yesterday. Being on the Piccadilly tube which was bombed still haunts me to this day. While it has been a long time since the tragic day, I hope it will never be forgotten.
‘My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives.’
The Home Office maintains that Prevent ‘is applied in a proportionate manner against all extremist ideologies’ and sites for asylum accommodation are continually reviewed with any community tensions identified through engagement with the local police and other stakeholders.
Incidents are reported by providers to the Home Office immediately, with work to provide additional safety measures if required, according to the department. Officials also maintain that the Illegal Migration Bill ‘will stop the boats by detaining those who come to the UK illegally, and swiftly returning them to a safe third country or their home country’.
The department holds that ‘we meet our human rights obligations and we take the welfare of those in detention very seriously’.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are determined to tackle extremism so that risks in our communities are easily recognised and swiftly dealt with, and we can build resilience and promote social cohesion. We work closely with law enforcement, local communities and our international partners to tackle groups and individuals who sow division and hatred.’
MORE : 7/7 survivor says ‘world is dangerous place’ and calls for new terror strategy
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Sajda Mughal OBE warned that racism and intolerance is on the rise as she spoke to mark the 18th anniversary of the 7/7 attacks.