Cameron at city mosque

Tory leader David Cameron visited Birmingham Central Mosque this afternoon in the wake of the terror arrests, and told Muslim leaders about the need to beat extremism.

His visit aimed to counteract comments by mosque chairman Mohammad Naseem, who likened the plight of Muslims in Britain to that of Jews in Nazi Germany.

Mr Cameron told reporters after today's two-hour meeting that people must be careful not to demonise a whole community, before adding: "It's clear that there is a small number of very dangerous extremists that we have to confront and defeat."

Dr Naseem has said the UK was becoming a police state and accused the Government of "picking on" the Muslim community to pursue a political goal.

He said last week's nine arrests in Kingstanding, Sparkhill, Alum Rock and Washwood Heath were an example of the Government justifying its political agenda and anti-terror laws.

"This is a persecuting course of action that the Government has taken," he said.

"To justify that, they have to maintain incidents to prove something is going on.

"There is dismay and people feel they are being persecuted unjustly."

Mr Cameron's visit, his second to Birmingham in eight days, also follows his first major intervention on Islamic extremism.

He urged ministers last week to pay less attention to "loud" Muslim groups who often did not represent the views of their communities.

Mr Cameron said many such groups pursued an agenda of "separation rather than integration", and the Government could not afford to "defer" to their views.

Mr Cameron said the "sea" of support in which terrorists swam had to be drained.

By Jim Dunton