FORMER Bradford Council leader Eric Pickles has faced a fresh onslaught in the city over his now notorious letter to Muslim leaders urging more assistance in the fight against extremism.

The letter, written in the wake of the Paris attacks, was widely condemned when it first emerged but he faced fresh criticism last night a a meeting billed as a 'community and civil society response to the Paris killings: A West Yorkshire perspective'.

A statement from the Bradford Council of Mosques was read to the audience, stating: "The very point Eric Pickles seems to overlook is that millions of Muslims have emphatically condemned the atrocities in Paris.

"Muslims have rightly taken the view that terrorists have no regard for their victims' faith. Muslims are equal and vibrant partners in the fight against terrorists."

The letter was co-authored by Mr Pickles, now the Government's Communities Secretary, and Lord Ahmed. The statement added: "The co-authors subtly imply Muslims need to do more to be part of British society, suggesting we are not doing enough.

"They overlook the fact that for Muslims in the fourth or fifth generation, Britain is their home.

"Evidently, the Islamic community has contributed to the prosperity of the nation. Therefore to belittle their contribution or raise doubts about their Britishness is grossly unfair.

"Their letter will heighten the sense of isolation within the Muslim community, making them more vulnerable to extremist propaganda and abuse."

Gordon Clubb, a University of Leeds lecturer and expert on terrorism was on the panel at the meeting, attended by dozens of people, and said a different approach to tackling terrorism was needed. Terrorism was not about the Muslim community, "but something smaller than that", he said.

Fatima Patel, editor of Asian Sunday newspaper, was also on the panel and said: "We have to bridge the divide (between societies) if we want a better future for our children" and also attacked the letter from Mr Pickles, stating: "The fact that he only sent it to the Muslim community is ridiculous. Why should it only be down to the Muslim community to condemn?

"Who is to bridge the divide? It should not be just down to the Muslim community to do that. We have to work together."

The meeting was organised by the Just West Yorkshire organisation and took place at the Sharing Voices centre in Manningham.

The objective was to allow the community of Bradford express its opinions on events surrounding the killings in Paris, with questions and comments from the audience dominating the event.

Nazir Tabassom, of the South Asian People's Forum, said that while Islam was a peaceful religion there was "a large section of the Muslim population are not peaceful", citing terrorist organisations such as Boko Haram and the Taliban.

However, Just West Yorkshire chairman Alyas Kamani, who was sitting on the panel, challenged that and said: "I think that comment is outrageous. I think this is the narrative of us versus them.

"They constitute .001 per cent of the Muslim world, if that. Ninety five per cent of the victims of terrorism are Muslims but they get five per cent of the reporting," he said.

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