Islam had nothing to do with the riots that rocked Bradford, senior religious figures said today.

And it was a breakdown in religious values that contributed to the catastrophic events at the weekend, they claimed.

Talib Hussain, spokesman for Carlisle Road mosque, has strongly denied any rumour that youngsters were being urged to participate in the violence on religious grounds.

"As far as I know, all the imams (Muslim elders) in mosques in Bradford have united in their condemnation of these acts of criminality.

"It is total nonsense to even suggest that Islam had anything to do with what happened.

"Any person with even the slightest knowledge of Islam would know that this sort of behaviour is totally anti-Islamic."

Mr Hussain, 42, said he was at the scene of the rioting and saw many outsiders.

"There were black, white and Asian people from outside Bradford. Of course there were people from Bradford but there were a lot from outside too."

Mr Hussain also condemned police tactics.

"The police made some diabolical mistakes. The fighting started in the city centre and ended up in Oak Lane. Didn't they learn anything from 1995? And those white businesses should have been protected."

Mohammad Riaz, a community leader and former Prospective Parliamnetary candidate for Bradford West, said: "I am an Asian and I feel ashamed that groups of youths had to resort to the extent of burning property and cars, throwing stones and petrol bombs. Those are not the scenes we want to see.

"This was not a race issue, it was purely a thuggish element bordering on criminality. They were not standing up for the community, we are talking about thugs and criminals who wanted to deliberately start things up to create the headlines, and there's no justification."

A spokesman for the Young Muslim Organisation UK, which has a large number of members in Bradford, said: "The recent uprising of racial tension and riots in Bradford - as well as Leeds and Burnley - is undoubtedly a cause for concern not only for the Muslim community but also for all decent British people.

"The Muslim community of Bradford cannot and will not condone racial violence. Islam, in fact, is a religion of peace and harmony.

"The Muslim community in Bradford must pro-actively involve itself in discussions with the police and other community organisations in order to reach positive solutions to the problem of social exclusion and deprivation, particularly among the youth.

"We urge the police to show restraint in dealing with Asian demonstrators and co-operate with community leaders. We also urge the Asian community of Bradford not to partake in gang violence or street riots with the police."