BRITAIN’S leading Muslim body took the unprecedented step yesterday of writing to every mosque to urge worshippers to fight against terrorism.

The letter, sent to more than 1,000 mosques, urges Muslims to inform on terrorists in their midst in an attempt to curb the zeal of the “hotheaded loonies” on the fringes of Islam in Britain.

Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary- General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that the letter represented a “change of emphasis” among the leaders of the country’s two million Muslims. It is the first part of an action plan to increase the vigilance and co-operation of the Muslim community in bringing terrorists to justice and in distancing Islam from terrorism.

The letter, to be read and discussed at prayers throughout the country tomorrow, was written in the light of “serious concerns” expressed by the Prime Minister and the police about the high probability of an imminent terrorist attack in the UK. It is addressed to imams, chairmen and secretaries of mosques. In it, Mr Sacranie says: “I have no doubt that as a leader in the community you are already discharging your Islamic duty in helping to preserve the peace of the nation as well as protecting the community against falling into any trap or provocation.”

Requesting liaison with local police, the letter advocates “the utmost vigilance against any mischievous or criminal elements from infiltrating the community and provoking any unlawful activity”.

Mr Sacranie said yesterday: “The letter is a change of emphasis. We have to face the reality.” He said that most Muslims had “brushed aside” or dismissed as irrelevant the “hotheaded loonies” operating outside mosques. “We have to face the fact that there are these hotheads, who we call the fringe elements, praying outside mosques, giving inflammatory statements,” he said.

“These statements are not just picked up by the few who want to listen to what they have to say but by the mainstream media, as though they are the views of the Muslim community.” He said these extremist teachings were the antithesis of Islam.

Mr Sacranie expected a positive response from mosques. “There is nothing wrong in speaking against terrorist activities. People who commit these atrocious barbaric acts are criminals, full stop.”

He said that the repeated warnings of an imminent terrorist attack in Britain had prompted the change of emphasis. “It seems that the threat is a real threat. If a bomb goes off, myself, my family, my community, everyone will be part of it, will be endangered.

“Therefore, there is a greater need for this vigilance to continue. If in any way the community can identify elements who are about to commit these criminal activities, we will all benefit from it.

“We need to use these vigilance resources a bit more in identifying who these people are, who is responsible for carrying out these barbaric acts. When terror strikes, it strikes all of us. We will be saving our own skin.”

Mr Sacranie emphasised that one of the main objectives was to clear the name of Islam from the taint of terrorism.

He said that even if those caught and convicted of terorist offences were identified as Muslims, they could not be religious observers of Islam because the religion specifically forbade such acts. He added that there had been no discussions with the police before the letter was sent yesterday.

“Nowhere should it be considered that members of the Muslim community can be targeted as spies or as people who can probe into the community and carry out undercover investigations,” he said. “The message is an open message. We need to be more vigilant, to keep our ears and eyes open.”

He did not name specific groups but said that he had become concerned especially about the boasting he had heard from those who claimed to have recruited British citizens to fight in the name of terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Sacranie said: “We must not just ignore and brush aside those people who have been making inflammatory statements. It is a fact that many of the fringe elements have been boasting around that the people caught in Afghanistan and Iraq were their members and attending their lectures.

“It is all very well apprehending the individuals who stupidly went out there. But the real criminals are those who have been inciting them with their inflammatory messages.They are the ones who remain free to continue their propaganda, which is damaging Islam and the larger community.” The letter emphasises the importance of spelling out to young people in particular Islamic injunctions to peace for the sake of national security.

Mr Sacranie said: “It is the young disaffected youth who may be more vulnerable to these elements. We have to deal with this issue collectively. The vast majority of the Muslim community have been distancing themselves from this, but we need to revisit it.”

He spelt out the rest of his action plan last night at the Muslim News Awards for Excellence in London.

Tony Blair welcomed the intervention by Muslim leaders and said that the initiative made it clear that terrorism “has nothing to do with the true message of Islam”.

He told MPs in the Commons yesterday that the threat “affects every family in this country, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, and it is right that we all work together to defeat this threat and do not allow the extremists to divide us”.

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