All Londoners deserve to be saluted for the courageous and heroic manner in which they have coped up with the tragedy that struck them in the underground and the roads. Prime Minister Blair, rushing from Gleneageles to the city of London to oversee the damage and rescue operations and then return to the deliberations at G8 that very night, provided strong and exemplary leadership to a tormented nation. This is a time to comfort those, who have lost their family members and loved ones in this tragedy. The dignity with which Britain is endeavouring to assimilate this horrible event, will be respected. I am not a Londoner, but I visited the city many times on work, and this is a very sad time for me. Rajendra K. Aneja, Mumbai, India
I'm a Londoner through and through. I've spent over 40 years travelling on the tube and buses. I am shocked and grieve deeply for those who have lost their loved ones and those who are wounded and scarred. I feel very moved by the wonderful support from contributors all round the world. I would like to say to those who have or would set bombs indiscriminately in the name of their brand of religion: I may be an infidel, but I am a living being, I generally like and help my fellow men wherever they are from or whatever they believe, and I take pride in the city and society in which I and my family live. Intolerance will be your undoing, and contrary to what you may have been told, no God will reward you for it, nor for acts of mass murder. Anthony Charnley, London
Thursday morning I heard the news while headed to the Grand Canyon with three British teens. As soon as we were in mobile range, they called to make sure family were well (all are, thankfully.) For myself, I was reminded of Santayana: they have failed to learn the lessons of history. They could have saved themselves trouble and grief had they heard from their fathers, as I did from mine, how London faced the Blitz. Best wishes to all from seven hours west. D. C. Sessions, Phoeniz, AZ, USA
My heart and my prayers go out to your country and especially to the victims and their families. Lost forever is a twenty-something who will never know what true love is, a retiree who will never experience the Golden Years, and, like you and me, an everyday Jane who left for work on a beautiful morning to provide for her family and will never return. You Brits have seen it all and have been through it all. There is a reason that I admire you so. Your proud history demands nothing less. Let us not forget what is occurring here. As callous as it may seem, you will remember, and will be saddened, but will carry on. We must in order to ensure that a twenty-something can find out that it wasn’t just a fling, a retiree can admire her rose garden, and Jane can watch Suzi grow up into a woman that is an intelligent, productive, and integral part of society. Now, the really tough part. Shouldn’t you and I demand the same for Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, and the rest of the world? Ask yourself, if we don’t, who will? Joel Basalyga, USA
As a US citizen I understand what Londoners are going through. They feel violated and scared. However, you must not live life scared or it won't be much of a life at all. You also can not go blaming the Muslims in Iraq and around the world for a small group of extremists. Here in the US, in San Antonio, Texas, no less, we saw people of Middle Eastern ethnicity being victimized and blamed when 9-11 happened. They were not to blame, nor the people of Iraq for they had no more control of their government than we do of ours. You can't let hate enter your hearts or being scared rule your lives; if you do, you've let the terrorists win. The British people have always been a strong and noble people and I know that you will rise to the occassion admirably. Robin Castellanos, San Antonio, TX, USA
The carnage in London last Thursday not only brutalised the people directly attacked, but the whole of humanity. There are no sane people in the world who are not both shocked by such brutal insanity and very sympathetic to Britain. Haydn Pimenta, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The innocent are being killed in Iraq by the same monsters that orchestrated the London, Madrid, New York and Bali bombs. Their murderous intent predates the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. What they have miscalculated is the fact that the majority of people that make up the anglosphere have inherited the British traits of courage, tenacity and the will to take a stand against evil. Courage like that displayed in London this week and the political will of our governments to draw a line in the sand and take these murderers head on will win the day. James Duncan, Gold Coast, Australia
If invading and occupying Iraq causes terrorist attacks then how come New York was attacked in 2001? The US hadn't occupied Iraq then. al-Queda has no official aims that it has published. Its ideology is based on the reinstatement of a Muslim empire to rule the Middle East and beyond. Whether we are in Iraq or Afghanistan won't make any difference. The sooner European bleeding heart liberals wake up to that, the better. Giles Goodman, London
An absolutely monstrous and barbaric series of acts. Just as our British friends thought of us on September 11, so do millions of Americans send their deepest condolences to the residents of London. But London is a great city, and it will not be cowed by thugs, no matter how hard they try. Neil McDowell, Philadelphia, USA
I spent last summer studying in London and quickly grew to love the city that reminded me so much of home. Now comes another parallel. Reading about the attacks, I just feel so useless - none of us can do a thing now, but I can't even grieve alongside anyone. I now understand how Britons must have felt on September 11. Barry Petchesky, New York
We have to understand why we have arrived at this point in time. Bin Laden was origninally funded by the US when he was fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. Sadaam was also funded during the Iran/Iraq War. We helped create and fund these people, initially supporting their ideology. Whether we agree or disagree with the events that have happened prior to 7/7 it is time to come together and move forward as a whole, unity is the only way we can overcome this. Once we achieved this then we can take a good hard look at ourselves and hope that we all learn from our experiences. Name and address withheld
As a "baby boomer", I had often read about the Blitz, Mr. Churchill, and the calm courage demonstrated by the British people. God Bless you all. I know you will prevail and the terrorists will not. Lloyd Tisher, Indiana, USA
