ONE of Britain’s most prominent Islamic leaders has declared that British troops are a legitimate target for Iraqi militants.

Dr Ahmad al-Rawi, an Iraqi-born British passport-holder who has lived in this country for three decades, is one of 93 Islamic international scholars who signed a “bayyan” (declaration) in August supporting uprisings against the “filth of occupation” by both Iraqis and Palestinians. The signatories included five Hamas leaders.

Defending the bayyan last week al-Rawi compared the coalition forces in Iraq with the Nazi invaders of France in 1940. He said: “If they (the British) attack, it’s the right of the civilians to resist the British. Any people who are occupied, they have the right to resist. I prefer it to be peaceful, but if they choose to resist by other means it’s their choice.”

Although he would prefer a peaceful overthrow of the occupation, al-Rawi said he could not condemn attacks on coalition forces that have been responsible for many of the deaths of 1,112 American and 69 British soldiers in Iraq.

“My opinion on the occupation is that it is illegal. I couldn’t call the resistance, even military resistance to the occupation, I couldn’t consider it criminal.”

Al-Rawi, who lives in Loughborough, is the president of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE) which speaks for millions of Muslims belonging to 52 Islamic organisations in 28 countries.

Yesterday, as troops of the Black Watch deployed in their dangerous new operation area near Baghdad al-Rawi’s remarks were criticised for being inflammatory.

Patrick Mercer, opposition spokesman on homeland security, said al-Rawi was dangerously close to inciting violence: “Anybody inside this country who calls for jihad or fatwa treads a very narrow line between being peaceful and a terrorist sympathiser. I see no reason why we should tolerate this and in my view acts like this amount to incitement to violence and legal action should be taken against them.”

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) distanced itself from al-Rawi. Iqbal Sacranie, its secretary general, said: “The MCB has always opposed this war, and we want to see our troops brought back home immediately, and their lives not further endangered.”

Al-Rawi, 57, who came to Britain from Iraq in 1975 to study engineering, was sentenced to death in absentia for opposing the Saddam regime.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Margot Fonteyn: In her footsteps
• Forget beautiful people, let's have wonky Brits
• Fundamentalist brew: faith and power