Muslims issue anti-terror guide

Clerics met at Regents Park mosque after the Madrid bombings

Senior imams are publishing a guide for Muslims including advice on how to cope should there be an 11 September-style terror attack on the UK.

It warns an anti-Muslim backlash would be likely and sets out people's rights.

The guide also urges Muslims to be vigilant against potential terrorists and to report any suspicions to police.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) says the guide - Know Your Rights and Responsibilities - will eventually be sent to all Muslim households in the UK

There will be an initial print-run of 100,000, distributed through the MCB's 400 affiliates - such as mosques and schools - in September.

Madrid bombings

Council spokesman Inayat Bunglawala told BBC News Online the idea for the pamphlet came in the wake of the Madrid bombings in March.

"Following the Madrid bombings they (senior members of the Muslim community) decided to send a letter to all mosques to urge Muslims if they heard anything about terror-related activity to bring it to the immediate attention of the police.

It is an Islamic imperative to help avert danger to innocent people Inayat Bunglawala Muslim Council of Britain

"There was a very real realisation that Britain must now be viewed as a premium target for terrorist attacks."

He said the pocket guide would also urge Muslims to give information on any potential terrorist activities to the police.

"I know many Muslims have doubts about giving information about fellow Muslims to the police, many feel it is a dishonourable act. But information should be given as long as it is not maliciously motivated.

"Also, we know that following 9/11 some mosques, individuals and cemeteries were attacked.

"If, God forbid, there is an attack in the UK... it may well be that some groups use the opportunity to try and carry out attacks on the Muslim community. "

The booklet will include advice to Muslims on how to deter attacks on their homes and recommend that mosques install CCTV cameras outside and look out for suspicious packages.

'Extra duties'

However, the guide has not been universally welcomed.

Saghir Hussain, a solicitor specialising in criminal and human rights law, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "on the whole it is a good document which needs to be passed around to all the different communities".

"But my main concern is the emphasis on the extra duties, so to speak, on the Muslim community in the country," he said.

"We already have this hyped-up situation where the press and the various authorities seem to think that Muslims are hiding some terrorists under their beds.

"[The guide] seems to feed that notion once more, and this results in some serious miscarriages at the grass-roots level when people are arrested."

Mr Bunglawala said the guide was common sense and reflected the "go in, stay in, tune in" approach to any terror attack included in the leaflet recently published by the government.