Muslim cleric urges England to call off India tour

Creating more jitters for the England cricket team, a London based Muslim cleric Sheikh Abu Hamsa al-Masri issued a call on Wednesday night asking them to call off their Indian tour, claiming that security could not be guaranteed in the wake of US-led strikes on Afghanistan.

He said, "England must cancel the tour. Only that way can the England team invest in their future security."

"As England have ground troops working in Afghanistan, it might be high risk for an England team to go anywhere near that area," Hamsa was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard newspaper.

"It would be wise for the England team to show solidarity with those civilians of Afghanistan who lost their lives to show the whole Muslim world they are against the killing of civilians," he added.

"The Afghans don't have much influence in India. The risk will come from Muslim sympathisers inside India," he said.

"The political situation inside India is that it can explode at any time and England could get caught up in it," Hamsa said.

Hamsa continued: "There can be no safety guarantees this year, next year, whenever. People don't get hit when they expect to be hit. It can come suddenly at any time."

England have seen two members of their 16-man squad, fast bowler Andrew Caddick and off-spinner Robert Croft, drop out from the tour amid security concerns.

John Carr, the England and Wales Cricket Board director of cricket operations, and Tim O'Gorman of the Professional Cricketers Association are currently in India having discussions with government and cricket officials about security arrangements.

Hamsa, who can only see out of one eye, was recently forced to relinquish control of a mosque in Finsbury Park, north London and has been a controversial figure in British public life.

He is reported to be under surveillance by British security services because of alleged links with Osama bin Laden, the man suspected of masterminding the recent terror attacks in the United States.

He had described the September 11 terror incidents as 'acts of self-defence'.