In the run-up to the General Election, political parties are indulging in an unprecedented wooing of Muslim votes. The community has a decisive say in about 10 seats but can impact on over 30 marginal seats.
The Muslim leaders aware of the their community votes are organising public meetings with the parties in key areas of the country.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is giving its assessment of where the parties stand on issues affecting Muslims. A group of Islamic scholars has separately written to a daily urging Muslims to vote Labour, despite anger over Iraq.
At the start of campaigning, the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group, posed what it said were 10 questions Muslims needed to ask party candidates. These included their position on religious discrimination laws, anti-terrorism laws, poverty, Iraq and immigration policy.
Special voter cards with the key questions are being distributed to mosques around the country. In a bid to increase turnout, the MCB is also holding regional meetings in constituencies where the Muslim vote could prove influential.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the MCB, told BBC: "Never has it been more important for Britain's 1.6 million Muslims to get more actively involved and participate in the democratic process than now.
There is widespread expectation in Muslim circles that Labour could suffer a major loss in support at the election, largely because of the Iraq war and the government's handling of terrorism. The government's last-minute decision to drop its controversial plan to outlaw incitement to religious discrimination, a key Muslim campaign point, has also angered many leaders who regarded it as a minimum response needed to counter-balance a perceived increase in Islamophobia.
{{/usCountry}}There is widespread expectation in Muslim circles that Labour could suffer a major loss in support at the election, largely because of the Iraq war and the government's handling of terrorism. The government's last-minute decision to drop its controversial plan to outlaw incitement to religious discrimination, a key Muslim campaign point, has also angered many leaders who regarded it as a minimum response needed to counter-balance a perceived increase in Islamophobia.
{{/usCountry}}The Liberal Democrats have been campaigning hard in some predominantly Muslim areas, seeking to emphasise the party's opposition to the Iraq war and reservations about some of the current anti-terrorism measures.