Clerics use anti-drugs message

The anti-drugs message is combined with Islamic instruction

Islamic children as young as four are being taught hard-hitting lessons in a bid to stop them turning to drugs.

Mosques in Lancashire have turned to the controversial teaching methods because they believe religious instruction in Islam is no longer enough.

The harsh penalties of taking drugs are spelt out to the young children, to scare them off illegal substances.

The policy could be adopted in mosques across the country if the work in Blackburn is judged a success.

Muslim clerics stress that learning about Islam is still an important part of the lessons, but say that, previously, Asian communities have tried to ignore the drugs problem.

Ibrahim Master, chair of Lancashire Council of Mosques, said children need to be taught early about the dangers of drugs.

On Sunday he told BBC News 24 : "Islam prohibits drugs in the same way it prohibits alcohol, because it intoxicates the mind.

Zabir Haji felt the Asian community was unable to help him

"The Islamic message is put across to the children, but we also need to demonstrate to the children, practically, the dangers that the drugs pose."

Zabir Haji, who was heroin user for eight years and served a prison sentence, felt he could not turn to his community to help him deal with his addiction.

He has been clean for nearly a year, after he sought help from the Christian-based Thomas Inclusion Project (Tip) in Blackburn.

Mr Haji said: "[Asian] people do realise it is a problem, that it is an issue, but they're not ready to deal with it.

"When I was taking it I was made to feel an outcast."

Father Jim McCartney, chief executive of Tip, said in the past the perceived solution was to send drug users in the Asian community to Pakistan or India to tackle the problem.

He said: "But in fact it gets worse, because there is no therapeutic support over there."