Salaams If the MCB is aiming to be accepted as the main voice for muslims in the UK,then it needs to be much much more pro-active in its opposition to the bombings. At least 99% of the muslims in this country strongly oppose this war.Therefore the MCB has to provide the leadership;Standing next to Tony Blair a day after the bombing started was extremely naive.

Suggestions; 1.Affiliate to the anti-war coalition.Their agenda is more or less the same as yours. 2.Encourage every member organisation to promote the anti-war march on 18th Nov. 3.Issue a press statement condemning the support provided by the few muslim representatives in the Commons & Lords. 4.Urge your members to join their local coalitions against the war,and work to educate public opinion on the futility of the bombings. On a general note, the current situation and the strong feelings it has generated amongst the muslims provides an opportunity for the MCB to encourage muslims to contribute to political debate at all levels. The response from the muslim leadership in the UK has so far been inadequate and at times opportunistic.However,we must unite and present our case with confidence.After all we are opposed to mass killing of civilians , thus we occupy the moral high ground.

Wassalam

I just want to highlight that we shouldn't fall in to the trap of extremist who are giving Islam a bad name. These groups appear in Newspapers and on TV to spread their hatred and projecting Islam as a dangerous faith and its followers. Suicide bombing is not martyrdom but suicide which is against Islam. We shouldn't allow these extremist groups like 'Al - Mujahirn' from University,College camputs and other sites to infect young British Asian Muslims.

Salaam Your organisation is not at all doing its job to promote islam as a good peaceful religon publicly. Your organisation does not get mentioned in the media alot nor is actively engaged publicly in raising islamic awareness.

I am very dissapointed with the attitude of alot of muslims especially on the panorama programmes and also the Islamabad panel on sunday evening. Osama Bin Laden stated in 1998 on american news network,footage of which many muslims have seen that he decaled a fatwa to kill all americans. Osama Bin Laden is also the guy who stated two weeks prior the september 11 attacks that he was gonna hit america very hard,statements which were published in many newspapers in the middle east and pakistan as well as being reported in the west. Suleman Abu Gaith ,spokesman for Al-Qaeda has stated twice in videos released to Al Jazeerah news network that the storming of cockpits will not stop and warning muslims in the west not to live or be in skyscrapers and not to travel in planes as well as praising the suicide attackers on september 11 as martyrs and muslims that had done a good deed.Osama Bin Laden also rejoiced when he heard of the success of his terror attacks in america. Dr Ayman Al-Zawaheri, head of Egyptian jihaad is Osamas right hand man.Here is a guy who has been sentenced to death by an Egyptian court for murder.His jihaad group have killed many muslims and non-muslims in egypt,they assasinated Anwar Sadat in 1980 as well as committing the Luxor massacres in 1997 in which 58 innocent western tourists were killed and slaughtered.

What does your organisation say about Osama Bin Laden and Zawaheri? From the sounds of it you people are just like the Islamabad panel on panorama and Imran Khan the former Pakistani cricketer--ignorant of the truth and supporters of Osama Bin Laden who shames Islam and tarnishes the true image and meaning of Islam. I am sure you could be just like the Islamabad panel and lay the blame on those silly little Zionist conspiracy theories which emerge in Pakistan and in alot of countries. The truth is the Taleban are a bunch of no-gooders.Think of what they did to Najibullah ,president of Afghanistan whom they ousted in 1996, they castrated him and hung him from a tree as a trophy.

Look whats happened to the normal Afghan civilians under the taleban rule--women and girls are banned from working and education as soon as they reach puberty, what kind of islam is that? Hadhrat Kathija R.A was a successful businesswoman, shiate muslims have been tortured and killed by the taleban. Think back to what happened last year to the nine iranian diplomats in Afghanistan. There are many Afghan refugees in the UK whom ive met and been told shocking stories regarding the taleban and if the taleban were such good muslims then why is it that many muslims flee their persecution as refugees to escape to the west through extraordirnary ways such as hijacking planes etc. Taleban and Osama are also the same wahaabi sect which sponsors and has links with the many millitant islamic groups such as Jamiat-ulema-e islam and Jaish-e-Mohammad etc who carry out killings in the name of islam against shia muslims in mosques and under muslims who dont adhere to their beliefs. Another example is Kashmir where suicide attacks sponsored by the taleban and osama bin laden are carried out by so called freedom fighters in the name of islam which kills many innocent civilians predominantly muslims who are killed.Since 1989 11,000 muslims have been killed in Kashmir in the name of jihaad orchestrated by these so called muslims who tarnish the name of islam with their savagery.

Look at Algeria where the salafi muslim millitant islamic network in a bid to overthrow the government have slaughtered 100,000 orthodox muslims and raped muslim girls since 1992 because the muslims who folow under the guidance predominantly of Imam Malik have been slaughtered for not following or refusing to follow the salafi/wahabbi interpretaion of islam. The only millitant muslim group to which Bin Laden and Taleban are not linked is the TAKFIR-WAL-HIJRA group emminent in parts of Egypt and Sudan in which Zawaheri had links with in the 1970's. This group believe in killing all muslims who don't accept the takfir-wal hijra interpretaion of islam and and killing all non-muslims and hence they go to mosues and kill many muslims. Remember december 2000 when 30 muslims were killed by these mad men in Sudan?? Who funds these salafi millitant networks in Algeria?Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda do and also there are many Algerians amongst the arab fighters in afghanistan who make up the taleban and Osama Bin Laden.

Please don't come out with those statements calling for the allied bombings to stop during ramadhan because history is littered with battles between muslims during ramadhan too examples of which is IRAN/IRAQ war during the 1980's and also muslims have been at war with each other since Hadhrat Ali(fourth caliph of islam)and Aisha(prophets wife)days

I ask your organisation as to why you defend Osama Bin Laden when his record and his statements speak volumes of his guilt and don't please come out with that "we need proof"crap. The proof of his guilt is obviously there but no doubt alot of muslims would see the proof and evidence as fabrication of lies and point to their little silly Zionist conspiracy theories and besides in criminal investigations the police never provide the full evidence and proof to the public until the trial has been completed. If the taleban and al qaeda and Osama Bin Laden are not flushed out then muslims reputation and islams image would keep being tarnished by these mad men who seem hell bent to kill and destroy anyone who doesnt adhere to their extremist wahabbi and salafi interpretation of quraan and hadiths.

Jazakallah for taking the time to read my email and I hope you make a sensible statements condemning Bin Laden and Abu Gaiths statements and also distancing yourself and muslims from the millitant Islamic fundamentalist groups around the world which are an epidemic and a plague to us all.

May I reccomend an extraordirnarily great islamic site recently set up by the name of muslims against terrorism. www.muslimsagainstterrorism.org

Assalamalaikum

Hello, I found your site after a search on google.com after reading comments by Mahmud Al-Rashid on AOL news. With regard to the statement by Mr Al-Rashid who warned that there would be "outrage" among British Muslims if the US-led military action was extended to other countries such as Iraq and also that allies' war on terrorism is in reality a "sinister" war on Islam which aims to give the US a long-term military presence in Afghanistan. As a member of the majority non-muslim population of Britain, I think there would be outrage in this country if the Americans and British let up on this war on terror. I personally couldn't give a shit about Islam, I think people should be free to practice whatever religion they like without persecution or hindrance - ironically something that is not allowed in many Muslim countries. This doesn't mean I particulary like Islam, I think anything that treats women as second class citizens not very nice, but each to his own.

I do think that to say the war on terror is a war on Islam is ridiculous to say the least. Has it ever occurred to Mahmud Al-Rashid that it is a war on evil people who hijack planes and fly them into buildings killing thousands of people? The second they did that they lost their right to sanctuary, and given the Taliban's appalling record on human rights, it will be no sad thing if this war results in the Taliban being overthrown. And as for Saddam Hussain, he's an evil brute who used chemical weapons on his own people. I think it is right for the USA to pursue a policy that stops Saddam getting his dirty hands on chemical weapon and they are right to pursue a policy to stop a network of terror that hijacks commercial aeroplanes and drives them into civilian buildings. In fact, if the USA did not pursue such a policy thousands more lives will be lost in the long term, though perhaps not of concern to Mahmud Al-Rashid, as most of these lives would be westerners (although I'm sure there were some muslims killed in the terror attacks on September 11).

I see you call yourself the 'Muslim Council of Britain', whatever that is? If you are true British patriots you should support this war on terror and offer statements of support to our boys who are risking there lives to defend this great country of ours.

I write, having read in this morning's 'Independent', some of your comments about the war currently being waged against Afghanistan. I wanted to write in order to express my absolute support for you, and agreement with your sentiments. I am thoroughly ashamed and disgusted by my governments participation in this unjust war, and really embarassed to be British at the moment. The report in the paper today implied that your comments were somehow 'immoderate'. What I read of your comments seemed entirely sensible....this IS an unjust and illegal attack with alterior motives. I do not want to waste your time by writing too much, so I will end by stating my solidarity, as a white English atheist, with you at this awful moment in British and world history. If there is any way that I can express my intention to stand shoulder to shoulder with Britain's Muslims, please reply to this message.