A CONTROVERSIAL meeting which council leaders tried to stop passed off peacefully on Saturday.

The Hounslow Muslim Forum (HMF) organised the event at Lampton School to discuss the Government's policy on preventing terrorism.

However, it incurred the wrath of council leader Peter Thompson by inviting Dr Daud Abdullah, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Dr Abdullah faced calls for his resignation in February after signing a document supporting attacks on foreign troops who tried to prevent the supply of arms to Hamas.

Mr Thompson last week accused the HMF of attempting to increase 'fear and mistrust' among Muslims in the borough and wrote to the school urging it to ban the meeting. However, the school ignored his pleas and the event went ahead, with about 200 people attending.

Satvinder Buttar, chairman of Hounslow Race and Equalities Council (REC), was among those present and told the Chronicle he heard nothing to alarm him.

“There was nothing contentious which we thought would create tension or be against the fabric of the community,” he said. “People were talking about their experiences and how they think the (Muslim) community has been treated.

“We felt it was a good debate to have and the issues being discussed were important ones. We would ask the forum to tell us if they have any evidence or concerns that people locally have been adversely affected.”

The meeting first raised alarm bells with the council when posters advertising it listed the group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in several countries and has been accused of trying to 'radicalise' young British Muslims, as one of the forum's members.

However, the HMF withdrew the group's membership after concerns were raised about its motives and insists no representatives were ever invited to speak.

Inspector Alan Murphy, of Hounslow Police, pulled out of the meeting shortly before it was due to take place – though police refused to comment on his reasons for doing so.

The event's organiser, Mohammad Chaudhry, and Lampton School both declined to comment.