Officials Reject Bishops’ Call for Family of Bombers to Attend Memorial

Officials have announced that the families of the suicide bombers responsible for the 7 July terrorist attacks in London will not be invited to the national memorial service in remembrance of the victims.

Two senior bishops in the Church of England suggested last week the families be invited as a powerful message of reconciliation to the Islamic community.

The uncle of bomber Shehzad Tanweer responded to the suggestion by saying that he and his family would attend if invited and that he would be “happy to go and apologise for any pain a member of my family may have caused”.

The deputy chairman of the London Assembly, Brian Coleman rejected the proposal outright, describing it as “political correctness gone mad”.

He said: “These bishops have about as much understanding about grief as they do about community relations. They should go on a bereavement counselling course.”

The Bishop of Newcastle, Martin Wharton, backed the proposal, however, saying, “It will acknowledge the wickedness of the act and the grief and devastation it has caused.”

He added: “I believe this has to be an inclusive invitation.”

Jack Nicholls, the Bishop of Sheffield, also supported the proposal. He said: “We have to look forward, not back, forward to a society in which Muslims and Christians live together amicably in an integrated community.”

The memorial service will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral on November 1 and will be attended by the Queen and Prime Minister Tony Blair.