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'Lancashire mosques more extreme than Iraq' - claim
Lancashire's Muslim leaders have spoken of their shock after the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq said British mosques are spreading extremism.
Following a tour of Lancashire mosques, Dr Barham Salih said he was appalled by the level of fundamentalism he found taking root in the UK.
He claims to have seen literature which would be outlawed in his home country.
He said: "I am not surprised that you British are facing so many problems with extremists after what I saw in those mosques in Blackburn. What I saw would not be allowed in Iraq – it would be illegal."
But senior members of the county's Muslim community say the comments could have a "devastating effect on our communities."
Khalil Patel, of the Imam and Police Forum, said: "Obviously I don't know him and I don't know what he saw but I have not seen anything that would give me any cause for concern.
"We are very concerned with any issues of this nature but I have never come across anything of this nature, especially literature. This has surprised me."
Sohail Nawaz, director of ethnic minority support group Shahbash, said: "The key thing for me is why, if he had these concerns, did he not speak to people at the mosque and raise it?
"Why has he chosen to wait two years to make this statement? We need to understand the context in which this comment came up.
"In relation to the work we do in mosques and in the community, one-liners like this are not helpful.
"People who dip into our country, go back and make statements like this don't realise the damage they do. One liners like this drive Islamaphobia."
It was during talks in Baghdad that Dr Salih made the revelations to Shadow Culture Minister Tobias Ellwood. He visited several mosques in the Blackburn area during his visit as a guest of Justice Minister Jack Straw in 2005.
Sunni Muslim Dr Salih, 47, won office in 2005 in Iraq's first democratic elections in 50 years and backed Tony Blair's decision to topple Saddam Hussien.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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