After the barbaric attacks of September 11, I visited ground zero to witness firsthand the carnage in my city. I was proud to compare the reaction of the average New Yorker to the behavior of those stalwart Brits during the London Blitz of World War II.

Once again yesterday, Londoners responded with remarkable courage and firm resolve.

Many Americans seem not to realize that 67 Britons lost their lives on 9/11. What has seemed extraordinary to me since that day has been a reluctance on the part of many in Britain to disavow the Islamic extremists in their midst who brazenly held conferences applauding the terrorist attacks that killed Americans and their own countrymen. One has to wonder if that excess of tolerance will decline after yesterday’s savage attacks.

Prime Minister Blair made this announcement after the London bombings:

“We know that these people act in the name of Islam, but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims both here and abroad are decent and law-abiding people who abhor this kind of terrorism every bit as much as we do.”

A press release sent by the communications director, Ibrahim Hooper, for the largest Muslim civil-rights organization, said the following:

“The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joins Americans of all faiths, and all people of conscience worldwide, in condemning Thursday’s bomb attacks in London as barbaric crimes that can never be justified or excused. American Muslims offer their sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured in the attacks and call for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators.”

Sincere condolences are simply not enough anymore. The entire world is dealing with a fanaticism that will not cease, because it’s getting too much support and not enough condemnation from some Islamic imams.

President Putin of Russia said it best after the London subway and bus attacks: “But what happened today demonstrates yet again that we are doing too little to unite our efforts in the most effective way in the battle against terrorism.”

For the past decade, Russia has been battling Chechen rebels, and the Chechen fight, which began as a secular, separatist cause, has escalated into international terrorism. Why? Because Arab and other mercenaries have provided the rebels with funds, training, and leadership. After what happened to those poor Russian children killed in Beslan by Chechen rebels, one would think the world would have awakened to the savagery of our enemy. It’s an enemy that thrives on death, and it does not represent a valid religion. It is a deadly cult.

One hopes that these attacks will open the eyes of the hostile British press, which has been attacking England’s involvement in the war on terrorism. The Western world is under siege.

Here in New York, subway riders will be eyeing their fellow passengers more suspiciously, and we can expect many alarms, real and false, to be sounded.

Watching the footage of the attack’s aftermath on TV, I was deeply impressed by the courage demonstrated by the ordinary citizens who expressed their intentions to continue their daily routines despite the terror threats. The term “stiff upper lip” is not to be taken lightly. It is what Londoners have always worn in the most harrowing of times.

When I was a child during the Cold War, searchlights would scan the Manhattan sky at night for possible enemy aircraft. On television, old movies such as “Mrs. Miniver,” would depict how ordinary people survived the German bombers. I wondered then how anyone could live under such daily pressure. On 9/11, I’d like to think, we demonstrated the same courage and strength that Londoners have always displayed and are still exhibiting today.

I have the deepest sympathy for our courageous partners in London. I also know that the stupid, cowardly bombers again have no idea who they are dealing with.