Community leaders in Bradford have welcomed Home Secretary John Reid's promise to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with honest Muslims in a bid to stamp out extremism.

But they have warned him not to use Muslims as a scapegoat.

The Home Secretary, who was heckled by Muslim radical Abu Izzadeen when he visited an Islamic part of London to tell parents to keep an eye on their children for terrorist leanings, said bluntly there would be no no-go areas' for him and that he would not be bullied out of going to Muslim areas of Britain to tell "unpleasant truths".

Mr Reid told the Labour Conference in Manchester yesterday that terrorists wanted to break the British spirit' - and he was determined they would fail.

"If we in this movement are going to ask the decent, silent majority of Muslim men - and women - to have the courage to face down the extremist bullies, then we need to have the courage and character to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them doing it," he said.

President of the Pakistan Society of West Yorkshire Rashid Awan said the Government, and in particular Mr Reid, was taking the right decision to tackle extremism and support Muslim communities.

"The Government is committed to rooting out extremism by really identifying the problem," he said.

"The assurance is there so Muslims will not feel alone. John Reid is doing the right thing and the Muslim community must take on board the measures and keep the conversation and dialogue going to put an end to extremism."

But Dr Bary Malik, chairman of Ahmadiya Muslim Association, said people could not keep blaming Muslims for world terrorism and extremism.

He said: "We need to remove the cause of extremism and everyone, not only Muslims, have a moral duty to work together as terrorism kills everyone - it is not discriminatory.

"I agree people should stand shoulder-to-shoulder and all play a part."

Ishtiaq Ahmed, spokesman for Bradford Council of Mosques, warned Mr Reid against using the Muslim community as a scapegoat for fear of isolating communities. He said: "Extremism is a problem that cuts across the country and Mr Reid cannot keep suggesting that it is a Muslim issue.

"The Muslim community, as any other, condemns terrorism and extremism and we will play our part in eradicating terror."

Mr Reid added: "So when I am told by the terrorists or their loud-mouthed sympathisers that we will not be allowed to raise our arguments in this or that community, my answer is simple: This is Britain.

"There are, and there will be no no go areas' in our country for any of our people, whatever our background, colour or creed. We will go where we please, discuss what we like and we will never be brow- beaten by bullies.

"That is what it means to be British."

He said people must have the courage of their convictions and it was time to stand up for what we as a country believed in, irrespective of party affiliation.

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