Pupils study 7/7 attacks from bombers' viewpoint

A new teaching pack for schools asks pupils to look at the terror attacks on London in July 2005 from the point of view of the bombers.

The pack, devised by Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire, where some of the terrorists lived, is supported by several education authorities and looks at life in multicultural Britain. One module focuses on the bombings and their impact on different communities, asking students to write a presentation on the 7/7 bombings "from the perspective of the bombers".

It also urges pupils to look at the attacks from the perspective of Muslims, Asian non-Muslims and other people. The resource, entitled "Things Do Change", was at first endorsed by the Government and included on a website for teachers, but it was withdrawn on the orders of education ministers.

However, Tahir Alam, of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said: "This isn't any different from any educational tool people use all the time. Pupils imagine they're poets and write a poem, or imagine they're living in the 12th century. If children are asked what the justification of bombings might be, they might talk about foreign policy or other grievances."