Labour MP Ann Cryer has vowed to continue her campaign to highlight the problems of forced marriages in the district's Asian community, even if it loses her votes.

And she is considering setting up a House of Commons discussion group to ensure the issue remains firmly in the public spotlight.

Keighley MP Mrs Cryer opened a House of Commons debate on human rights for women yesterday by recounting the story of a Bradford Asian family. She told fellow MPs the "otherwise decent" family had hired hit men, private detectives and bounty hunters to seek out their daughter because she refused to marry the man of their choice and had married a non-Muslim.

Ayub Laher, general secretary of the Bradford-based Council of Mosques, said any violence went against Islamic law contained in the Koran. Parents should not take the law into their own hands, even if they felt their daughter was acting immorally, he said.

But marrying a non-Muslim man who refused to convert, or even worse cohabiting, was "a big sin", said Mr Laher, adding: "She was the one who sinned and Islam calls for the sinner to be educated".

Mrs Cryer said: "I have no doubt I will be criticised for taking this stance. I didn't start the campaign to grab headlines and I know I will probably lose votes because of it.''

She added: "I've contacted a number of community leaders and the response so far has not been great - but hopefully that's because they are taking these comments on board.

"Muslim families are not going to take any notice of me - this change needs to come from inside the community itself and that's why community leaders have such an important role to play."

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