Special report: Major UK Air Terror Plot Thwarted

    LONDON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Muslim groups in Britain on Saturday urged Prime Minister Tony Blair to make changes to the country's foreign policy. 

    In an open letter to Blair carried by several major British newspapers, Britain's Muslim leaders argued that current government policy encourages extremism and may put British citizens at risk of attack, both in Britain and abroad.

    "To combat terror the government has focused extensively on domestic legislation. While some of this will have an impact, the government must not ignore the role of its foreign policy," said the letter.

    "The debacle of Iraq and now the failure to do more to secure an immediate end to the attacks on civilians in the Middle East not only increases the risk to ordinary people in that region, it is also ammunition to extremists who threaten us all," said the letter.

    "Attacking civilians is never justified. This message is a global one. We urge the Prime Minister to redouble his efforts to tackle terror and extremism and change our foreign policy to show the world that we value the lives of civilians wherever they live and whatever their religion."

    The letter also urged Blair to step up efforts to bring an end to the violence in the Middle East, Sky news reported.

    The 38 Muslim groups which signed the letter include the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain, the British Muslim Forum, the British Muslim Forum and the Muslim Solidarity Committee.

    Three Muslim members of parliament's lower House of Commons and three Muslim members of the upper House of Lords also signed the letter. Enditem