Tensions have risen since 9/11, warn MPs

Relations between ethnic minority groups have deteriorated since the 11 September attacks, with Muslims saying they are being stereotyped as terrorists, and an "extremely disturbing" surge in anti-Semitism, MPs have warned.

Relations between ethnic minority groups have deteriorated since the 11 September attacks, with Muslims saying they are being stereotyped as terrorists, and an "extremely disturbing" surge in anti-Semitism, MPs have warned.

The Home Affairs Select Committee said the Muslim Council reported that 76 per cent of its community believed prejudice had intensified. Young Muslims said white people regarded them as terrorists, and that the media pandered to anti-Muslim stereotypes.

The committee called for more information on the extent of Islamophobia, and urged the Government to involve the Muslim community in developing anti-terrorism legislation.

The MPs said: "Anti-Semitism among some members of the Muslim community is also worrying. We welcome the condemnation of anti-Semitic attacks by leaders of the Muslim community." Work should be done to discover why a "very small number of young Britons turn to violently extremist groups", and efforts should be redoubled to discuss the issues in schools. In its conclusion that ethnic tensions had increased, the committee said: "International terrorism and the response to it have contributed to this deterioration, particularly in relations between the majority community and the Muslim community."