The Muslim News

PA News:

Britain’s Muslim population should accept as a “reality” that people of Islamic appearance are more likely to be stopped and searched by police, a minister said tonight.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears said that because laws were geared to dealing with Islamic extremists, innocent Muslims will inevitably be disproportionately targeted.

“The threat is most likely to come from those people associated with an extreme form of Islam, or who are falsely hiding behind Islam,” she told MPs.

“It means that some of our counter-terrorism powers will be disproportionately experienced by the Muslim community.

“I think that is the reality and I think we should recognise that.

“If a threat is from a particular place then our action is going to be targeted at that area.”

She made the comments during the all-party Home Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry into the effect anti-terror powers have had on community relations.

Ms Blears also disclosed that the Government was considering introducing more stringent qualifications for ministers of religion – such as imams – who want to come to Britain from abroad.

Ministers last year introduced a requirement that ministers should speak English to a certain level.

Faith groups will now be asked what other qualifications and knowledge should be demanded, such as civic knowledge or the ability to engage the community at large, said Ms Blears.

“We are consulting on what ought to be the range of skills and abilities that people who want to come into the country should possess,” she said.

Figures published last week showed blacks and Asians were increasingly likely to be targeted by police stop and search.

Although the overall number of times the controversial tactics were used by officers fell by 15% to 738,000 in 2003-04, it was deployed against ethnic minorities more often than the previous year.

Figures for England and Wales showed Asians were 1.9 times more likely to be stopped and searched, compared with 1.7 times in 2002-03.

Separate figures on police searches carried out under the Terrorism Act 2000 also showed ethnic minorities were more likely to be targeted.

Muslim groups have repeatedly claimed their communities are being victimised under terror laws in the post-September 11 climate.

The number of Terrorism Act 2000 searches rose 36% to 29,400 in the year, of which 12.5% were on Asians – even though they make up just 4.7% of the population in England and Wales.

Searches under this legislation against black people went up 55% from 1,745 to 2,704 and against Asian people by 22% from 2,989 to 3,668.

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