CAIRO, September 16 (IslamOnline.net) – A British government anti-terror working group concluded that the Iraq war is "undeniably a factor" in fanning extremism, and proposed forming a media unit to challenge the stereotyped media portrayal of Muslims, reported a leading British daily Friday, September 16.

"British foreign policy in the world cannot be left unconsidered as a factor in the motivations of extremists," the group said in a confidential report leaked to The Independent.

The Working Together to Prevent Extremism: Tackling Extremism and Radicalization report was drawn up after meetings between leading Muslims and government officials, said the daily.

The 13-member taskforce, chosen by the Home Office, includes prominent Muslim figures such as famed Swiss scholar Tariq Ramadan, Inayat Bunglawala, the media officer of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and MP Shahid Malik.

Known as the working group on tackling extremism, the taskforce is part of the government's response to the July 7 attacks on London, carried out by four British Muslims.

A leaked secret memo written by Foreign Office Permanent Secretary Michael Jay warned British Prime Minister Tony Blair a year ago that the Iraq war was fuelling extremism at home and making Britain seen as a crusader state.

The London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, gas also said that the Iraq war gave a momentum to Al-Qaeda's recruitment and fundraising and made Britain more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

A report from Britain 's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) further said that events in Iraq "are continuing to act as motivation and a focus of a range of terrorist-related activity in the UK".

The panel proposed a media unit to counter stereotyped media portrayal of Muslims.

The working group suggested, meanwhile, the formation of a "media unit" to challenge the "negative media portrayal" of Muslims and also to distance mainstream Muslims from extremists.

The MCB, the umbrella organizations of Muslim groups in Britain, organizes on Saturday, September 17, a one-day seminar on the UK Muslims’ engagement with the media.

It aims at helping develop the skills needed by British Muslims to ensure a better and more accurate representation of their faith and values in the print and broadcast media.

Attendees will be given the opportunity to listen to and question a panel of senior journalists and executives from famous British media, such as The Sun, Daily Mail, The Times, The Independent, the London Evening Standard, the BBC and Channel 4 News.

The MCB has recently demanded the BBC to investigate and apologize for a "dishonest" piece of journalism made by the broadcaster on the organization.

Stephen Schwartz, the executive director of the US-based Center for Islamic Pluralism, has earlier criticized the western media for failing to meet the challenge of reporting on Islam after the 9/11.