A recent study published by the British Medical Journal reveals that Muslim residents of London suffer far greater rates of stress than those of their non-Muslim counterparts in the wake of the July 7 bombings in the city, which killed 56 and injured more than 700.
The psychological study reports that stress suffered by Muslim residents following the attacks on the city's transport system was more than double of that of other London residents who participated in the study, according to IRNA. Nearly sixty-one percent of Muslim commuters surveyed suffered "substantial stress."
One of the researchers in the study attributed the findings to Muslim fears of reprisals against them, and at anger and sadness about "the misusing of their religion [to justify] terrorism".
Despite the high rate of Muslim stress reported, the finding suggest that most residents were coping resonably well with the attacks. According to researchers, since most London residents had faced such attacks in the past at the hand of the IRA in the 1980's and early 1990's, they had been psychologically toughened and more prepared for London's recent Al Qaeda attacks.
"People who said they had been exposed to terrorism before were less likely to be stressed" one researcher said. "If you've been exposed to terrorism before you've learnt ways to make yourself feel safe."
More than 1,000 people were part of the survey, taken after the bombings. 31 percent of those questioned reported substantial levels of stress. Some 55 percent believed their lives were in danger and 58 percent expressed fear for the lives of their family and friends.
32 percent of those interviewed said that they would count less on public transportation in the city, and 33 percent reported not feeling safe in central London.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
