By Ben Griffiths
Twenty years ago today, a split-second decision saved -London City worker Sajda Mughal鈥檚 life on a chilling day of horror that rocked Britain. She was late getting to her local Piccadilly line Tube platform and instead of heading to the first carriage as usual she hopped onto a different one. Seconds after the train left King鈥檚 Cross for Russell Square, it was rocked by the biggest explosion Sajda had ever heard. And it was to change her life for ever. Because in the aftermath brave Sajda, who is a Muslim, immediately decided to quit her job and dedicate her life to fighting extremism . It won her an OBE from the King in 2015 for her tireless work. She set up the world ‘s first online extremism programme working with mothers to educate and prevent young Muslims from being radicalised. She toured schools doing workshops for more than 25,000 children and has worked with families whose radicalised children fled to Syria to join IS. But now 20 years on from that dreadful day 鈥 in which four suicide attacks on London鈥檚 transport network killed 52 people and injured 770 鈥 mum-of-three Sajda, 42, believes Britain鈥檚 terror threat 鈥渋s in a worse place than we were 20 years ago鈥. She blasts Prevent 鈥 a national programme aimed at stopping people becoming terrorists that she once worked on 鈥 as being 鈥渂arely fit for purpose鈥 and slams politicians for not doing enough to stem the terror threat. And she believes this may be why she鈥檚 even been snubbed by government officials organising today’s official 20-year commemoration service at London鈥檚 St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral for all 7/7 survivors. 鈥淚t鈥檚 shocking,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 may have been critical of Prevent. But I am still a 7/7 survivor. It shouldn鈥檛 matter.鈥 Instead today, she will reflect on all those who died and their families 鈥 and the luck that saw her survive that day on the Piccadilly line where 26 were killed. 鈥淏reaking my morning routine saved my life,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t was literally a sliding door moment. If I鈥檇 got on the carriage I did every other morning, I鈥檇 be dead. Instead, I survived because I was late. 鈥淭he train shook like there had been an earthquake. I was flung to the floor. People fell off seats, and the lights went out. Then I heard the screams. Someone said, 鈥楢re you OK?鈥 But I was frozen. I thought we鈥檇 derailed and with it being rush hour another train would crash into us. 鈥淚 was thinking, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 it. We鈥檙e going to die. I haven鈥檛 said bye to loved ones. I haven鈥檛 done what I wanted to do in life. 鈥淭hat twist of fate made me realise I had to make my life matter. Being Muslim and hearing that the four bombers that day shared my faith was like a second explosion for me. I wanted to make it my life鈥檚 work to try to prevent extremism.鈥 But she feels there is still so much for her to do. 鈥淪adly, I fear the UK is in a worse place,鈥 she says. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got threats from all corners such as far- right extremism or incels. 鈥淢y message to politicians about Prevent is stop fooling the public that you鈥檙e doing something. They need to take these threats seriously. I fear we haven鈥檛 learned our lessons from 20 years ago.鈥 As well as the Russell Square attack, two other Tubes were bombed near Liverpool Street and Edgware Road on the Circle Line, with a blast on a bus in Tavistock Square bringing the death toll to 52. Sajda added: 鈥淔inding out the bombings had been carried out by four Muslim men was like another explosion. I know that this is not what my religion teaches at all.鈥 She started working with the JAN Trust 鈥 set up by her mother decades before 鈥 to educate people on the dangers of radicalisation. She said: 鈥淭he JAN Trust worked with marginalised and ethnic minority women, children and families, and I drove on its work, particularly in countering extremism.鈥 She also worked with the Tory government on the Prevent programme. She said: 鈥淎fter a while, I found the strategy was not working. I was vocal about it, but they didn鈥檛 want to hear what I was seeing and hearing within communities.鈥 After ending her work with Prevent, government funding for the JAN Trust was removed and the charity closed in 2023. Today her focus will be on remembering those who lost their lives as she spends the day with her husband and children. Sajda said: 鈥淭he 20-year anniversary hits you hard. Our politicians must take the threat of extremism more seriously to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.鈥