Militants banned from America will be refused entry to UK

Senior government officials confirmed that the measures are aimed at stopping radical clerics preaching hate to impressionable young Muslims like the four men who carried out the London suicide bombings.

A cabinet minister told The Independent: "We have to be very careful about this, but we have to stop the head-bangers."

Those who could be targeted by such a ban could include Professor Tariq Ramadan, who is barred by the US but is attending a conference in London, and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who faced protests when he visited London at the invitation of Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, after supporting Palestine suicide bombers in Israel.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the controversial Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, which went through its second reading this week, will be used to stop extremist Muslim clerics preaching hate in Britain. "It is a two-way street," said the spokesman.

Tony Blair will begin extensive consultations with Muslim community leaders next week in an attempt to secure the support of moderate Muslims for the tougher measures. He is hoping to announce his plans before the Commons breaks for the summer recess next Thursday.

"I don't want to pre-empt that discussion but you will see before the summer what our proposals are," said the spokesman.

Charles Clarke secured unanimous cabinet backing for toughening the anti-terrorist measures and will report back next week. The Home Secretary already has power to issue an exclusion order against anyone he believes would not be "conducive to the public good". However, under the new rules, which he will introduce without legislation, anyone banned in another EU country or the US would automatically be referred to the Home Secretary, and it is highly unlikely he would let them into the UK.

Some measures are to be included in the anti-terrorism Bill, which was to be introduced as a draft measure in the autumn, but could now be rushed through Parliament if Mr Blair can secure a cross-party consensus. Downing Street did not rule out an early recall of Parliament in September from its summer break to deal with the legislation.

The Bill will include the introduction of conditions on those granted asylum or leave to remain in the UK so that their permission to stay could be revoked if they were found to be fomenting terrorism.

Efforts are also being stepped up to allow those suspected of fomenting terrorism to be deported, including alleged Algerian terrorists.

Kim Howells, Foreign Office minister for the Middle East, is holding urgent talks with north African states to agree a series of memorandums of understanding giving guarantees that people deported to those countries will not be tortured.

Islamic scholars who back 'resistance'

Tariq Ramadan is an Islamic academic. He is scheduled to give a lecture at The Middle Path conference in London on 24 July, partly funded by the Metropolitan Police. Professor Ramadan, right, said: "My point to young Muslims is to say: know who you are and assert your identity but at the same time you should promote an intracommunity debate and a critical attitude towards people who are promoting hatred and killing innocent people." However, when he was asked by an Italian magazine if car bombings were justified against US forces in Iraq, he was quoted as saying: "Iraq was colonised by the Americans. Resistance against the army is just." He has been banned from France and accused in Spain of having links with an Algerian al-Qa'ida operative. Last year the Department of Homeland Security revoked his visa nine days before he was due to take up a professorship in the US.

Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is an Egyptian cleric who met Ken Livingstone last year in London. He has been accused of supporting suicide bombings.

When Newsnight asked Dr Qaradawi, right, his opinion on suicide bombers who murdered Israeli women and children, his response was: "Israeli women are not like women in our society because Israeli women are militarised. Secondly, I consider this type of martyrdom operation as an indication of the justice of Allah almighty.''

But Sheikh Qaradawi condemned the London bombings as "evil acts characterised by barbarity and savagery, which are condemned by Islam in the strongest of terms".

He was born in 1926 and studied Islamic theology in Cairo, becoming a respected scholar. His website describes him as a voice of moderation in Islam, building bridges between traditionalists and modernisers.

Genevieve Roberts