Muslim leaders fear 'neocolonial war' will fuel increase in Islamophobia

Muslim communities condemned the start of hostilities in Iraq yesterday and warned of a possible rise in Islamophobia in Britain as a result.

Leaders of the main Muslim groups agreed that Saddam Hussein should be removed but expressed concerns about civilian deaths in Iraq and a "new colonial enterprise" in the entire region after a war.

The Muslim Council of Britain urged Muslims to attend mosques today to pray for an early end to the war. Iqbal Sacranie, the council's secretary general, described the start of war as a "black day in our country's history".

Mr Sacranie said: "We are deeply concerned that this war will blight relations between Britain and much of the rest of the world, especially with Muslim countries, for a long time to come. By allying ourselves with the hegemonic American drive, our country has put at risk our huge political, economic and cultural ties with the Muslim world.

"This war appears to be part of a plan to redraw the map of the Middle East in accordance with the agenda of Zionists and American neo-conservatives ... Rather than starting a new inferno in Iraq, our energies would have been better spent in extinguishing the existing fire in Palestine."

The organisation warned against agent provocateurs in Britain who may "exploit the current tragedy by fuelling Islamophobia".

Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed, deputy president of the Muslim Association of Britain, which helped organise last month's anti-war march in central London, said: "Muslims will be praying for peace in almost all mosques in Britain. Hopefully this fight will finish as soon as possible. We are urging people to stay calm and not participate in anything illegal. We are here and we are British and we have an obligation to preserve peace and security.

"The start of the war is sad for people campaigning for peace. British Muslims don't support Saddam Hussein. They know he is a dictator. But we know a humanitarian catastrophe will happen. We also fear increasing Islamophobia in this country and we are very vigilant now."

Ahmed Versi, editor of The Muslim News, said: "We have already heard about 10 civilian deaths in Iraq although it has only been a small bombing campaign so far. How many more civilians will die if we continue to target Baghdad? It is not in the best interests of the people of Iraq or the region.

"We are against Saddam Hussein and we have been as a newspaper since the 1980s. But we believe that instead of war, the UN should have been allowed to continue inspections while sanctions were lifted to allow the people of Iraq to overthrow their leader."

The paper's main editorial will make the point that this "war is not justified and not legal" and encourage readers to show their opposition.

Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of Birmingham's Central Mosque, said: "Mr Blair has broken a democratic principle because he knows that 80 per cent of the people in this country are against war. If the principle is that all dictators should be removed then that is for the UN to decide."