Williams also spoke up against the scapegoating of Muslims in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 London bombings on underground trains and a bus , which killed 52 and wounded about 700 . The initial blame was placed on Al-Qaeda , but Muslims at large were targeted for reprisals : four mosques in England were assaulted and Muslims were verbally insulted in streets and their cars and houses were vandalised . Williams strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and stated that they could not be justified . However , he added that " any person can commit a crime in the name of religion and it is not particularly Islam to be blamed . Some persons committed deeds in the name of Islam but the deeds contradict Islamic belief and philosophy completely . " In November 2007 , Williams gave an interview for '' Emel '' magazine , a British Muslim magazine . Williams condemned the United States and certain Christian groups for their role in the Middle East , while his criticism of some trends within Islam went largely unreported . As reported by '' The Times '' , he was greatly critical of the United States , the Iraq War , and Christian Zionists , yet made " only mild criticisms of the Islamic world " . He claimed " the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday " . He compared Muslims in Britain to the Good Samaritans , praised Muslim salat ritual of five prayers a day , but said in Muslim nations , the " present political solutions are n't always very impressive "
7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
Rowan Williams