Fuad Nahdi: On the brink of war no one seems to understand Muslim fears

Western leaders ? including the new Archbishop of Canterbury ? are sending out bad signals. They risk feeding extremism and violence in British mosques

It is a hard job being a British Muslim. At each turn in events, we run the risk of sounding either schizophrenic or barking mad. During the last few weeks trying to convince people that mosques are not "centres of terrorism" has been a strenuous jihad. It is surprisingly difficult to persuade many people that most mosques are not full of crazed Algerian terrorists-cum-scientists busy either producing poisonous ricin or polishing imitation guns. Or that you don't need helicopters and 150 armed police officers to search a mosque for "weapons of mass destruction" – even if they were hidden under prayer mats.

The Government's strategy has hardly been sensitive. Sending tanks and armoured vehicles to Heathrow and Bradford on Eid day is not exactly a positive contribution towards community relations. Eid is a day of festivity and joy: the only danger anybody is likely to face on this day from British Muslims is the offer of a high-calorie sweet dish.

You might think that the Christian churches would be more sensitive at this time, particularly as they say Muslim- Christian dialogue is high on their agenda. The opposite is the case. We have the new Archbishop of Canterbury – whom many Muslims regarded as a friend of Islam when he spoke out against war when his appointment was first announced – now telling the Prince of Wales that he cannot be a Defender of Faiths but must restrict himself to that of the Church of England. It was hardly a reassuring signal to minority faiths, Muslims included. Then we have the Vatican beatifying a friar best remembered for his role in the last Christian Crusade against Islam. Father Marco d'Aviano (born in 1631) was the Osama bin Laden of his time. His outbursts against Islam and the Turks were both racist and provocative. The Vatican claims that Father d'Aviano was a man of peace "far removed from fanaticism", who had aided the legitimate defence of Christianity against aggressors. Exactly what most people in the Arab Muslim world are saying about bin Laden and al-Qa'ida.

Fortunately the 100,000 British Muslims expected to attend the anti-war march in London today will be among more understanding souls. Fellow marchers, of whatever faith and none, understand why we oppose the war against Iraq. It is not support for Saddam Hussein's murderous regime: the Baathist leader is directly responsible for more Muslim deaths than anybody in history. Yet most Muslims see the coming war as anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim. The other justifications just don't hold water. Every Muslim child can tell you that Iraq does not have a monopoly of weapons of mass destruction, that Israel has flouted at least 64 UN resolutions and that one of the most despicable leaders in the region, namely Ariel Sharon, leads a government that has unmatched political and financial support from the United States.

Whatever the spin, we find it difficult to understand the war except as another Crusade. It is not just that President George W. Bush pledges that he and his administration will act to serve "a just and faithful God". They also say they want to build a better Iraq. How can we take them seriously when Afghanistan still smoulders with violence, death and anarchy and they turn a blind eye to the atrocities and injustices of Chechnya and Kashmir? And what about Palestine? The occupied territories, as Edward Said put it,

today are witnessing the onset of mass famine; there is a health crisis of catastrophic proportions; there is a civilian death toll that totals at least a dozen to 20 people a week; the economy has collapsed; hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians are unable to work, study or move about as curfews and at least 300 barricades impede their daily lives; houses are blown up or bulldozed on a mass basis [60 last week]. And all of it with US equipment, US political support, US finances.

Yet, while we are supposed to hate and despise Saddam Hussein, Mr Bush declares that Prime Minister Sharon, a war criminal by any standard, is a man of peace.

It is little wonder that war against Iraq is likely to bring an increase in extremism and violence. Britain may be unable to avoid this outcome. Through injustice, Islamophobia and racism, Britain is pushing our young people into the very extremism the Government says it wants to stamp out. My fear is that the actions of such confused individuals will be as irresponsible and devastating as the "smart" bombs soon to be unleashed on the mostly innocent citizens of Baghdad.

But there is at least some hope. Last week, we learned that Prince Charles, despite his slapping down by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is a "closet member of the peace movement". According to one report the Prince reads the "Koran every day and often adopts Islamic dress at home" – a detail, if you believe it, no doubt intended to discredit him in the eyes of some English readers but which will only boost his credibility among the Muslim community. But the most exciting news has come from the census report. Islam – with 1,540,000 adherents – is the second largest faith in England and Wales. It is not quite the "Conversion of England" that the Vatican has been praying for all these years. But it is a sign that the Government ignores the fears of Muslims at its peril.

Fuad Nahdi is the publisher of the Muslim magazine Q-News