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A British Muslim leader knighted by the Queen says homosexuality is immoral and promotes the spread of disease.

In an interview Tuesday with the British Broadcasting Corporation Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the head of the Muslim Council of Britain, also said that civil partnership are damaging to society.

"It does not augur well in building the very foundations of society - stability, family relationships. And it is something we would certainly not, in any form, encourage the community to be involved in," Sir Iqbal told the BBC.

Considered by most Muslims to be a moderate, Sir Iqbal is Britain's most visible Muslim community leader. He ended his tirade on gays and same-sex unions by saying society should be tolerant but that people should also have a right to speak out on issues with which they disagree.

"We may not be happy with the views being expressed by others. But the difficulty comes in that at the end of the day we are human beings," he told the state broadcaster.

The interview drew quick condemnation from British gay rights leaders. Peter Tatchell of LGBT rights group Outrage said it was sad to see one oppressed minority attacking another.

"We share a parallel experience of prejudice and discrimination. Victimization of Muslim people is wrong, and so too is the victimization of gay people. Instead of sowing division and promoting homophobia, the Muslim Council of Britain should be working with gay organizations to challenge the twin evils of homophobia and Islamophobia," Tatchell said.

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[ 04 January 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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British police are investigating Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, over comments he made in a radio interview where he said homosexuality is immoral and promotes the spread of disease.

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Prosecutors have decided not to charge Britain's most well known Muslim over comments he made in a radio interview where he said homosexuality is immoral and promotes the spread of disease. 

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"There will be no further action on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Festival of Muslims Cultures, whose Patron is Prince Charles, has announced that no event involving gay Muslims will be accepted as part of the Festival Program.

The year-long festival - which opens on 24 January in Sheffield - is one of the world's largest ever Muslim cultural events.

Despite claiming in its promotional publicity that the festival will feature the "diversity and plurality" of Muslim cultures, the Festival has rejected a request to stage a photo exhibition, conference and film screening featuring the lives and experiences of lesbian and gay Muslims.

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[ 24 January 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]