An election meeting for one of Britain's largest Muslim organisations was thrown into disarray this morning by protesters from a radical Islamic group.

The Muslim Council of Great Britain (MCB) event, launching an election guide for Muslim voters, was interrupted by about a dozen young men chanting "There is no God but Allah!"

One of the men said that they were followers of the controversial cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed and wanted to condemn the Muslim Council of Britain for its "alliance" with the Government, and accused it of being a mouthpiece for Tony Blair.

"We are here to condemn you and your organisation," they said. "These people do not represent Islam. They represent Tony Blair and the Labour Party."

The protesters then began distributing a leaflet in which they described themselves as ‘the Saviour Sect’ or Ahlus-Sunnah al-Jamaa’ah. The leaflet condemned all the main party leaders and said that Muslims should not vote for them or cast any kind of vote in the election.

Police were called to the event at Regents Park Mosque in London, but although Iqbal Sacranie, the MCB's secretary general, was pushed, there was no serious violence and the protesters were eventually persuaded to leave.

When the press conference finally started, Mr Sacranie dismissed the interruption: "OK, we’ve had our entertainment," he said, "You’ve heard the opinions of other members of the community. Their stance is one of self-pity and a defeatist attitude. This is not the stance of the MCB."

Ali Mirage, the Conservative candidate for Watford who is Muslim and was at the meeting, said: "This is the problem that we have, this is the growing cancer in our midst that has to be addressed."

The moderate MCB has published its election guide today. It stops short of urging its members to support Labour, but is advising Muslims to question candidates on ten key issues. These include protection from discrimination, foreign policy, and equality of opportunity.

The organisation urges voters to question politicians about "the discriminatory application of anti-terror laws," and suggests that they ask individual candidates if they will "promote steps that ensure that no individual loses their liberty or dignity without the proper and transparent process of law."

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