Islamic militant groups face ban

Hamas is one of several Palestinian groups on the list

Several radical Islamic groups from the Middle East are among 21 foreign organisations that the UK Government intends to ban under new anti-terrorist legislation.

UK Home Secretary Jack Straw announced the list of organisations on Wednesday, saying he was satisfied that they were involved in terrorism.

Middle Eastern groups on the list

Al-Qaida

Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Al-Gama'at al-Islamiya (Egypt)

Armed Islamic Group (Algeria)

Salafist Group for Call and Combat (Algeria)

Lebanese guerrilla organisation Hezbollah

Hamas

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Palestinian Abu Nidal Organisation

Islamic Army of Aden (Yemen)

Mujaheddin-e Khalq (Iran)

The list includes Al-Qaida, the organisation of the Afghan-based Saudi-born dissident, Osama bin Laden, and anti-Israeli groups Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.

A number of groups fighting for Islamic states in Egypt, Algeria and Yemen also feature, as well as the Iraq-based Iranian opposition group Mujaheddin-e Khalq.

But Home Office Minister Charles Clarke denied that the list was anti-Muslim, although nearly three-quarters of the groups on it are Islamic.

And he said that the ban was not directed against groups campaigning peacefully against injustice.

Mr Clarke denied that Britain was acting at the bidding of foreign governments, though several had made representations. Al Qaida, for instance, is blamed by the United States for a number of attacks on Americans.

When drawing up the list, the government considered whether a group had a policy of attacking civilians, Mr Clarke said.

The law gives police powers to seize assets and arrest those who use violence or the threat of it "for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause".

Even fund-raising or openly supporting a banned organisation could lead to arrest.

The list is subject to parliamentary approval.