Keighley MP Ann Cryer has backed calls from a Muslim leader to tackle child abuse at Islamic religious schools.

A report published this week by the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain suggested that up to 40 per cent of madrasas hit or scold their pupils.

Mrs Cryer had already gone public about the problems, citing alleged abuses at the Emily Street mosque in Keighley four years ago.

She collected evidence from youngsters who claimed they had been thumped, whipped and kicked by the teachers. A police investigation followed.

Mrs Cryer said this week: "There are mosques that work well, but many where children are treated nastily, either abused verbally or physically.

"To say that Muslim children should be excluded from legislation which protects white children would be racist -- I'm not racist.

"I am saying that Muslim children should have the same protection as white children. It is about four years since I brought this up and nothing has been done. How many children have been beaten since then?"

Muslim Parliament head Dr Ghayasuddin Siqque warned that Britain's Muslim community could suffer similar scandals to the Catholic Church unless action was taken.

The parliament has called for a national register of madrasas to make sure children attending them are protected.

Madrasas - normally attached to mosques -- operate in a similar fashion to church Sunday schools, offering children instruction in the Qur'an during evening and weekend classes.

Dr Siddique said: "The Muslim community is in a state of denial, not only denying that abuse exists, but they also feel there is absolutely no need to have guidelines in place.

"At the moment all these schools are outside the law -- nobody actually knows what is happening. It's not good for these institutions, it's not good for the children."

Keighley Councillor Khadim Hussain admitted there had been "one or two" cases of abuse at Keighley madrasas, but claimed the report was exaggerating the problem.

Cllr Hussain said: "There have been isolated incidents and Keighley is no exception. But I do not believe mosques are predominantly using force on young boys."