A leading British imam has urged Muslims in the UK to look to their own behaviour and see if they are following the Prophet’s commandments in their own lives before lashing out against the controversial cartoons.

Imam Ibrahim Mogra, a preacher in Leicester and a senior member of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that British Muslims were "upset, distraught and angry" about the repeated publication of the offending cartoons across Europe.

"I am urging them to calm down and take stock of their own lives. We should all remain within the law and not be provoked by hot-heads on both sides," he said.

Imam Mogra, a theologian and expert in Islamic law or Sharia, explained why Muslims had been so hurt by the caricatures. He said that Muslims started from the position of loving God, which meant total obedience to his messenger, Mohammed. Even moderate Muslims took seriously the Koranic injunctions to listen to the Prophet, and not to be forward in the presence of God or his messenger.

They also believe, from chapter 21, verse 107, that God sent Mohammed as his messenger as an act of "mercy" to the whole world. In addition, Mohammed is reported in the Hadith to have told his followers: "None of you is a true believer until I become more beloved to him than his child, his father and the whole of mankind."

Imam Mogra said: "Because of these teachings it is very easy for Muslims to feel hurt and pain when such an important person is vilified in this manner."

He said most Muslims believed Mohammed’s teachings were primarily about living in peace and harmony with the rest of the world. So to depict him as a terrorist with a bomb for a turban, as in one of the cartoons, was deeply distressing for Muslims.

He said: "Our own claim to be Muslim depends on our love and respect for the Prophet. If our love and respect is not of the highest level, we are only partly on our way to attaining God’s pleasure."

But he urged Muslims not to over-react.

"We must today stick to our own lives as Muslims as to how much we uphold the teachings of this great person who was a source of guidance and goodness and mercy to this world. Many times we forget some very important things he taught us.

"The Messenger said we must love our neighbour, we must do unto others what we want done unto ourselves, we must care for the poor and needy, we must stand up for justice, we must stand against oppression, we must be honest in our dealings, we must not cheat, lie or swear."

He said every Muslim should be aware of these commands, every moment of the day. "This is where the true test lies. If we love Mohammed and we love our God, we will do our very best to carry out these teachings in our lives.

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