Home Office minister Hazel Blears faced criticism of the Government's anti-terror plans today during a meeting with Muslims.

	Hazel Blears arrives for the consultation

The Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety said the gathering, in Leicester, was one of a series to help the Government formulate policy "informed by people's real experiences".

But Muslim leaders at the event warned that the Government's anti-terror measures were ill-advised. One representative said they put the entire faith community in the dock.

Around 200 people, including representatives of other faiths, took part in the consultation.

Before dividing into discussion groups, Ms Blears told them: "What I am interested in looking for is day-to-day experiences from the grass roots of the community.

"I always believed that Government policy-making is much better when informed by people's real experiences, and that's the purpose of the meetings we are holding."

The anti-terror legislation headed the list of concerns raised during the discussion groups, with the Middle East, radical clerics and deportations among other issues talked about.

Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, said: "We think the way forward is not for legislation but to engage with the community.

"These particular laws are too draconian and they are uncalled for. There is existing legislation at present that can deal with this issue."

Manzoor Moghal, chairman of the Muslim Forum, an umbrella group for 35 mosques in Leicester, said: "We welcome the consultation and I think it's a good idea to consult, but we think that it looks like a knee-jerk reaction in the wake of the July 7 bombings.

"I have been saying for years that it's time we restrict these preachers coming from overseas who are conveying messages of hatred to our young people. They are indoctrinating them.

"It (the consultation) is perhaps too late, but it's better late than never. You do have to ask if this is a PR exercise for the Muslim community when the Government has already formulated its policy."

Yaqub Khan, general secretary of the Pakistan Association in Leicester, said: "I think the law on terrorism is making the whole Muslim community stand in the dock.

"I think there are lots of people who are opposed to Islam as a faith. This legislation is the type of legislation which has not even been introduced during war time."

Other towns and cities included in the series of meetings are Bolton, Oldham, Burnley, Leeds and Bradford.