Prejudice against Islam and Muslims has become socially acceptable in Britain, a Birmingham MP has claimed.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood (Lab Perry Barr) backed comments by senior Conservative Sayeeda Warsi, who spoke out against Islamophobia in a high-profile speech.
The 2001 census found that one in seven Birmingham residents, about 140,000 people, are Muslims.
Lady Warsi, co-chairman of the Conservative Party and a member of David Cameron’s Cabinet, said that terrorist offences committed by a small number of Muslims were used to condemn all who follow Islam.
And she warned that a tendency to divide Muslims into “moderates” and “extremists” could fuel intolerance.
She said: “It’s not a big leap of imagination to predict where the talk of ‘moderate’ Muslims leads; in the factory, where they’ve just hired a Muslim worker, the boss says to his employees: ‘Not to worry, he’s only fairly Muslim’.
“In the school, the kids say: ‘The family next door are Muslim but they’re not too bad’.
“And in the road, as a woman walks past wearing a burka, the passers-by think: ‘That woman’s either oppressed or is making a political statement’.”
Mr Mahmood said: “I think she is right in that there are issues about the way the Muslim community is treated, because you see the entire community castigated for the actions of extremists and terrorists.
“It is seen as easy pickings for people who in the past would have spoken about race but now focus on religion instead.
“You can’t bring in new laws to deal with this problem but what you can do is raise awareness and try to start a debate which is what I think Baroness Warsi is doing.”
Lady Warsi also criticised “the patronising, superficial way faith is discussed in certain quarters, including the media” for making Britain a less tolerant place for believers.
Asked whether the Prime Minister agreed with Lady Warsi that prejudice against Muslims was becoming more widespread, David Cameron’s official spokesman said: “She is expressing her view. He agrees that this is an important debate.”
