MUSLIMS in East Lancashire today claimed they were being victimised in the war against terror after a Blackburn scholar was detained at Heathrow Airport for seven hours.

Shaykh Yusuf Suleman Motala, of Blackburn, is one of Britain's leading Muslim scholars but missed a sacred Ramadan pilgrimage after being held for questioning by officials.

The Muslim Council of Britain say Muslims are being singled out for "victimisation and profiling" under the pretext of a war on terror.

And Ibrahim Master, chairman for the Lancashire Council of Mosques, today revealed that the incident was not an isolated case.

The council has joined a national appeal to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and the Home Office to halt the unnecessary detention of Muslim travellers "under inhumane and distressful conditions".

There is currently a "severe" security level alert in place at UK airports to counter the threat of terrorism and in the run up to the visit of US president George Bush tomorrow.

Today, Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "I am aware of this matter and have received representations from the Lancashire Council of Mosques and the Muslim Council of Britain. I am following these up and would be happy to meet Mr Motala to discuss his concerns."

Mr Motala, a British national, is said to be one of the most "learned scholars in the country" and an inspiration to the Muslim community of East Lancashire specialising in educating youngsters on issues of pro-integration and community cohesion.

Mr Motala was forced to cancel his planned visit to the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage with his wife after missing his flight when he was held on Tuesday evening after travelling from Manchester.

He is said to have been left feeling "dejected by the system".

His spokesperson, Dr Mahmood Chandia, director of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, said: "He was interrogated by officials from various immigration services and anti-terrorism units for just under seven hours.

"He was questioned about Islam, on his professional life, and his views on various aspects of Islam but has no idea why he was stopped.

"While care should be taken for security purposes, innocent people being hounded is going too far. He and his wife have been left very distressed, disappointed and unwell from the incident."

Mr Master said there had been several cases of East Lancashire British national Muslims being interrogated in a hostile manner at airports. He said two East Lancashire Islamic students and a Blackburn mosque leader had been subjected to "unreasonable detention" over the past months.

The Metropolitan Police and the Home Office said they would not comment on Shaykh Motala as they did not discuss individual cases.