Amid the pain and anguish of the London bombings, one significant narrative was lost – that of British Muslims. They became victims, both of the terrorists and of overzealous sections of the media, which accepted the terrorists' definitions of Islam and imposed them blindly on Muslim communities living in the UK. This strange symbiotic relationship between a section of our media and that of the terrorist groups has silenced and disenfranchised ordinary British Muslims.

The majority of British Muslims have watched helplessly as a section of the media has encouraged leadership of the Muslim community to be overtaken by fringe elements, whipping up passions through an iconography of angry Muslims, deployed to discredit the rest of the country's Muslim population. This tragedy has not only redefined and refocused the way Muslims are perceived by others, but, perhaps more poignantly, has also redefined the way Muslims see themselves.

Muslims categorically reject terror as a means of achieving political goals. Every Muslim group of any standing has unreservedly condemned 7 July bombings. Unfortunately, the media has failed to give sufficient prominence to this overwhelming condemnation, and has often even "counterbalanced" them with statements from wholly unrepresentative fringe groups which support terrorism or extremism. Without a doubt, this has left the British public confused as to what Muslims actually believe. As a result, many Muslims feel they have to propitiate other people's prejudice and ignorance. In the face of the avalanche of negative imagery emitted almost daily, this task seems almost impossible.

Government policies born out of 7/7, perhaps informed by political expediency, have stigmatised Muslims en masse. This has led to further stereotyping and humiliation. The pressure created by policies such as Prevent has placed a terrible burden upon Muslims to identify, fight and root out terrorists from within their communities. These demands imposed on Muslims have been displaced from a government that admits its own incapacity to implement them, despite its institutional and financial power.

The government's policies have not only stigmatised Muslim communities but also created such suspicion and discord that Muslim communities have actually been discouraged from talking about and reflecting upon extremism and terrorism. Those who want to engage in open debate fear being cast out as Prevent opportunists – those who have massively benefited from the money and resources that the government has apparently poured into the control and prevention of extremism.

While researching for my book, 7/7: Muslim Perspectives, I met a great deal of resistance from Muslims to expressing their feelings. Many people I approached were uncomfortable in discussing the subject; some feared it might attract adverse interest from the security services, others appeared worn down by the continuing media focus. I encountered the greatest reluctance among young male Muslims, many of whom feared being spied upon. A woman teacher bluntly asked me if this exercise had anything to do with the intelligence agencies. She refused to contribute, as she thought it was part of the Prevent programme, and therefore most likely to be a "monitoring" project.

In the five years since the bombing, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim violence in Britain have grown disproportionately and become increasingly acceptable within mainstream culture. I learned of a moving incident from a Metropolitan police community outreach officer, which typifies the prevailing, scarcely acknowledged atmosphere. Having noticed his nine-year-old son showing signs of unease and worry, he decided to check up on him. After a few affectionate remarks, the son turned to his father and enquired: "Dad … it is only Muslims who can become terrorists, innit?"

In today's Britain, negative characterisations of Muslims haunt the imagination of young children; a reality to which many Muslim schoolchildren in playgrounds have become accustomed.

The most challenging and disturbing aspect of Muslim life that can fuel radicalisation is an increasingly hate-filled and divisive discourse that casts Muslims as different and as the "other". This rhetoric, often traded by "experts" in anti-Muslim thinktanks, is also naively accepted by some politicians and advanced by a section of media. It gives the feeling to many British Muslims that they need continuously to prove their "oath of fealty", their love for and loyalty to the country. In spite of their repeated expression of allegiance, they feel they are going to be scapegoated anyway.

Changing such an attitude is the most important work to be done, but unless this is urgently undertaken, the prophecies of terror may be unwittingly fulfilled.