"There is nothing Islamic about committing mass murder," Bunglawala said.

LONDON, November 11, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Concluding that foreign policy and participation of the Iraq invasion was a key factor in feeding home-grown extremists, a panel of British Muslims have put forward a "roadmap" for Tony Blair's government to fight extremism and develop a better understanding of Islam, according to a major British daily Friday, November 11.

The taskforce of prominent British Muslim leaders set up by the government after the July 7 London attacks suggested road shows of Islamic scholars -- who could visit towns and cities and explain the Islamic teachings, The Guardian reported.

In its report published Thursday, the group also recommended Islamic Web sites to provide an information for young Muslims to represent all the mainstream schools of thought.

"What this road-show would hopefully do is to highlight that the answers extremists give are no answers whatsoever. There is nothing Islamic about committing mass murder," Inayat Bunglawala, the spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told the daily.

The report was compiled by seven working group committees after months of consultations with Muslim minority groups around the country.

The seven working groups were chaired by leading British Muslim figures, including Lord Ahmed, Yusuf Islam, Inayat Bunglawala, Nahid Majid, Lady Uddin, Mohammed Abdul Aziz, and Abdul Ullah.

British Muslim leaders pledged July 19 active and effective participation in the government's efforts to combat the poisonous phenomenon of extremism for the welfare of British society.

The group recommended in the report to draw up a training program for Muslim imams in non-theological skills, including interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution, and establishing "beacon centers" to promote integration and develop leadership.

Labour Member Lord Ahmed, a member of the taskforce, said the National Advisory Council of Imams would train young, suitable candidates who will become our home-grown imams rather than asking for imams from outside," according to the BBC News Online.

He said mosques would have to increase the use of English in sermons because half of Muslims aged under 24 did not understand Arabic, and mosque committees would have to include more women and young people.

The recommendations also included measures to improve public-sector understanding of Islam through secondments and short-term contracts into and out of government and a better reflection of Islam in education curriculum.

The report further suggested training programs for young British Muslim MPs to run debates with young Muslims in their communities and to provide a safe space for youth to debate issues and register dissent.

The taskforce also proposed education programs for Muslim prisoners and greater support for Muslim chaplains, mentoring schemes for Muslim women to shadow figures in public life.

The Muslim taskforce blamed the British foreign policies and the US-British led occupation of Iraq for fueling extremism among members of the Muslim minority in Britain, according to the Independent.

"British foreign policy - especially in the Middle East - cannot be left unconsidered as a factor in the motivations of criminal radical extremists. We believe it is a key contributory factor," the report said.

"The Government should learn from the impact of its foreign policies on its electors."

The report added that radical impulses among the Muslim minority were often triggered by "perceptions of injustices inherent in western foreign policy".

"Criticism of some British foreign policies should not be assumed to be disloyal. Peaceful disagreement is a sign of a healthy democracy. Dissent should not be conflated with terrorism, violence or deemed inimical to British values."

The Muslim taskforce warned that Blair's anti-terror bill will create a "significant chill factor" in the Muslim minority.

"The proposal to make "inciting, justifying or glorifying terrorism" a criminal offence "could lead to a significant chill factor in the Muslim community in expressing legitimate support for self-determination struggles around the world."

It added that the anti-terror legislation could lead to a fear of using "legitimate concepts and terminology" because of the anxiety of being misunderstood by authorities ignorant of Arabic/Islamic vocabulary.

Blair's controversial anti-terror proposal was defeated by 322 votes to 291 in the lower House of Commons, his first defeat on a legislative proposal in parliament since taking office in 1997.

British Muslims have hailed Blair's parliamentary defeat as a victory for human rights and civil liberties.