ITN
7/7: mother's message of peace
7/7: mother's message of peace
A woman whose son died on July 7 has called for the mother of her son's killer to 'stand side by side' with her to denounce extremism. Marie Fatayi-Williams, 51, lost her son Anthony, a 26-year-old oil executive with Amec, when Hasib Hussain detonated his rucksack bomb on a bus in Tavistock Square. Speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of the London bombings, Mrs Fatayi-Williams appealed to Hussain's mother, Maniza, to join her in public to condemn suicide attacks. She said if Hussain's mother was ready to say that such attacks are 'wrong and her faith does not allow it' then she would be willing to share a platform with her. She went on: 'Because all I have read about her son is that he was a gentle man, he was peaceful, he would never hurt a fly and that what happened was completely out of character. 'Therefore, his mum would like to immortalise him differently than what he is at present by saying 'I rise up and stand up for what I believe in'.' She added: 'If she wants to do that, I am ready to stand side by side with her to proclaim that, to say that young people do not need to strap themselves with bombs to blow other people up.' Mrs Fatayi-Williams was flanked by her husband, Alan, and Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain. She repeated her call for a public inquiry into the bombings and said: 'Lessons must be learnt from where mistakes have been made.' Mrs Fatayi-Williams was speaking at the launch of a book, For The Love Of Anthony, that she has written as a tribute to her son. She epitomised the suffering of the bereaved relatives in the days after the blasts, when she delivered a heart-rending speech pleading for an end to violence.
ITN | July 6, 2006
