Religious leaders coming to Bradford are being taught about the Western lifestyles of young British Muslims.

Although more mosques are employing UK-trained imams or priests, some still arrive from Asia and are shocked by what they find, said Ayub Laher, vice-president of the Bradford Council of Mosques.

"In Britain, young people can get a job at 16 and drive at 17," he said. "Girls can go to college, to clubs, talk to boys and wear Western clothes. It's very different in rural parts of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh where some of the imams still come from.

"They are very learned and intelligent people, but they do not know our culture and they have to be able to relate to young British people. They need to know about the education system - SATS and GCSEs - and about the local government system so that they know where to go for help when they are asked. And they need to understand that disciplinary matters are different - that corporal punishment is not an option here.

"Even if smacking a child was legal, imams would now need to understand the potential physical and psychological damage. Basic-ally, they need to learn how to be more sympathetic and empathetic to people who do not have the same background as themselves."

The courses, paid for by the mosques, are at the Thornbury Centre in Leeds Old Road.

The development follows on from a joint venture between the mosques and the education authority. The scheme, which taught imams about lifestyles as well as the UK schools system, ended after two years when education authority funding ceased.

But the Council of Mosques believed the experience was so valuable that it asked its members to fund the new courses instead, according to president Sher Azam.

"We wanted the imams to understand the children better, as well as the education system," he said.

Ayub Laher said: "We ask the mosques to fund these courses themselves and are looking for financial help with future projects.

"We want to help overseas imams to be more progressive if they come here to live, so they can relate to British people and nurture the children. We want them to understand this society better and that they have to be prepared for more give and take. They still have to be able to get across to young people that, for instance, swearing or taking drugs is against the teachings of Islam. But they need to do this in a less draconian and more sympathetic way than they may have been used to."