LONDON-  British Muslims from all walks of life jointly launched Friday, July 6 a wide-scale media campaign to unequivocally condemn the recent attempted bomb attacks in London and Glasgow and clear stereotypes about their faith.

"The unity of our society must be maintained and we must not allow divisions to emerge between us. We must remain friends, neighbors and colleagues, and take Britain forward as one nation towards a Greater Britain," read an advertisement placed in leading and tabloid UK newspapers as part of the "Muslims United" campaign.

Using the slogan "Not in Our Name," the campaign's phase one starts with full page advertisements to clearly state the Muslim community's condemnation of these foiled terrorist attacks and reject any attempts to link criminal attacks to the teachings of Islam.

Phase two aims to continue to resonate this message through advertising on bill boards, London buses, and the tubework.

Part of this phase focuses on the positive contribution of Muslims in the UK.

A website - www.islamispeace.org.uk - has also been set up by the organizers to inform people about Islamic history and philosophy.

The website opens with a verse from the Noble Qur'an reading: "Whoever kills an innocent soul, it is as if he killed the whole of mankind. And whoever saves one, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind."

Plans for permanent Islamic exhibitions and interactive displays about the religion are also being considered.

Organizations rallying behind the media campaign include the Conservative Muslim Forum, Islamic Relief, the Islamic Society of Britain, Muslim Doctors and Dentists Association.

It comes as eight suspects believed to be foreign NHS workers who have moved to Britain to work continue to be questioned by police after two car bombs were found in central London last week and a four-wheel-drive vehicle was driven into the main terminal at Glasgow airport last Saturday.

• Mainstream

The campaign claims the backing of an alphabet of supporters from accountants to youth workers.

"We wanted to highlight with this campaign that people from all walks of life feel the same way," Ihtisham Hibatullah, spokesman for the British Muslim Initiative, told Reuters.

Hibatullah said doctors made up the bulk of those who had joined the campaign.

"The overwhelming response has come from the medical profession," he said. "People in the profession want to be heard saying 'not in their name'."

Hibatullah praised the government's handling of events under new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"There have been no draconian laws rushed through or raids. The general perception in the Muslim community is that things have changed,"

The media campaign calls for British Muslims to not be held responsible "for the acts of criminals" and praises the government's efforts to "respond to the crisis calmly and proportionately".

Britain's leading dailies have urged Brown not to rush through anti-terror laws, adopt a much subtler policy and address the root causes of extremism in the wake of the three foiled terrorist attacks.

After the July 2005 bombings on the London transportwork in which four young British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings, former Prime Minister Tony Blair rushed to toughen anti-terror laws and granted police more powers.

British Muslims, estimated at some two million people, have taken the brunt of such new anti-terror measures.

They have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by police for no apparent reason other than being Muslim, citing the routine stop-and-search operations and random house raids.

Sources:Islam Online