Bishop hits at Muslims' 'victim mentality'

The Church of England's only Asian bishop has spoken out against what he believes is a "dual psychology" of some Muslims. This leads them to identify themselves both as victims and oppressors.

The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, who grew up a Catholic - his father converted from Islam - also criticised the idea of multiculturalism and Prince Charles's desire to be defender of all faiths when he is eventually crowned king.

In a series of interviews, he said: "I think the real issue with Islam - and I would stress I have a large number of Muslim friends and relatives - is that we are dealing with not just a faith, but with a well-defined political ideology.

"Their complaint often boils down to the position that it is always right to intervene when Muslims are victims, such as in Bosnia or Kosovo, and always wrong when the Muslims are the oppressors or terrorists, such as with the Taliban or in Iraq."