"I think we need to be sensitive to that," Blair said

LONDON , July 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Tuesday, July 6, against "stigmatizing" the Muslim community because of fears of terrorism.

"I think that issue to do with terrorism - and we heard all the controversy over the stop and search [targeting the Muslim community] and so on - has put a new dimension into the equation which I think is difficult," Britain’s Press Association quoted Blair as telling the Commons Liaison Committee.

British Muslims have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by the police and the stop-and-search operations  under the Terrorism Act for no apparent reason other than being Muslims.

More than 35,000 Muslims were stopped and searched last year without reason, with fewer than 50 charged, whereas before the 9/11/2001 attacks only around 2,000 Muslims were stopped and searched.

Blair said that concerns about terrorism since the 9/11 attacks had added a "new dimension" to race relations.

"I know from my conversations with leaders of the Muslim community that they feel very strongly that if someone who calls themselves a Protestant goes on to the streets of Northern Ireland and murders a Catholic that doesn't reflect on the whole of the Protestant religion.

"Whereas they feel if you get Muslim extremists and terrorists then somehow this can be taken as stigmatizing the entire community. I think we need to be sensitive to that," Blair added.

Unnecessary Tension

Blair further warned against allowing "unnecessary tension" to develop between ethnic communities which could be exploited by parties like the far right British National Party (BNP).

"Those are areas particularly where political parties like the BNP can come in and exploit those tensions," PA quoted Blair as saying.

The British government has recently embarked on an intensive PR campaign to improve its relations with the Muslim community, which felt being discriminated against.

The Sunday Times revealed on May 30 that the government has drawn up a major plan to "win the hearts and minds" of young Muslims and address what it believes to be the underlying causes feeding extremism.

leading British Muslims, however, cast doubts on the motives of the plan, saying there is more to this than meets the eye.

The Foreign Office also released last December a CD, reminding the Muslim community that their contribution "is not just a matter of history, but a reality in every walk of life".

Muslim organizations have recently embarked on a nationwide anti-terror campaign  to "isolate and stop tolerating those spreading hatred against the country using the name of Islam."