On a visit to Yorkshire, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams stressed that he had spent the morning with Muslims. All of us must unite in helping the police to capture these murderers."The churches also came to the help of community relations. "These acts go totally against what I understand is the Muslim faith."Muslim groups also issued swift condemnations of the attacks. The Muslim Council of Britain said it "utterly condemns the perpetrators of what appears to be a series of co-ordinated attacks" It added: "These evil deeds makes victims of us all.

The evil people who planned and carried out these series of explosions in London want to demoralise us as a nation and divide us as a people. But the anxieties voiced by most Muslim groups provided a depressing reminder of how individuals of non-British extraction have found themselves blamed for events such as the 11 September terrorist attacks and the Madrid train bombings last year.Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick disassociated Islam and terrorism "The words Islam and terrorist do not go together," he said. "Visible aspects of Islam, such as mosques, community centres and women with headscarves" may be attacked, he said.Dr Mohammed Naseem, chairman of the Birmingham central mosque, questioned the IHRC's advice and said it was "a bit over the top". "In the event of being attacked, [do] not to retaliate and report the matter to the police and authorities," said the IHRC.The first hint of the aggression both groups feared came in a threatening e-mail about the explosions to Ahmed Versi, editor of Muslim News.

A tiny element of the community will make use of this," said the Muslim Association's president Ahmed Sheikh. The Muslim Association of Britain said women in headscarves were at particular risk, asked police to consider extra protection for mosques and Islamic schools, and also warned Muslims against unnecessary journeys."It is scary. "Everyone is subdued and people are wondering what has happened," he said, surveying his depleted customer base. "People are asking how will it affect us, are we going to be treated in a nice way after this? We have nothing to do with this." The explosions prompted the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) to issue the extraordinary advice yesterday that no Muslim should travel or go out unless strictly necessary, for fear of reprisals. We really do not know how to express our anger and disgust for this.BARONESS UDDIN OF BETHNAL GREEN, MUSLIM LABOUR PEER:It is at a time like this that the record of London as a united and multicultural society can shine as hope for all those who will defy the outrage besieging London.