Home Secretary John Reid's attempt to connect with British Muslims was hijacked yesterday by radical protesters claiming he was an "enemy" of Islam.

Others attending a speech he gave to a 30-strong group of Muslims in Leyton, east London, were angered by calls for Muslim parents to look out for the signs of brainwashing in their children in the fight against terrorism.

Dr Reid was ten minutes through his speech when well-known extremist Abu Izzadeen, clutching the hand of a small boy, interrupted him.

The Home Secretary had just listed a number of terror attacks around the world when Izzadeen began his tirade and forced him to stop.

"How dare you come to a Muslim area when over 1,000 Muslims have been arrested?" he said.

"You are an enemy of Islam and Muslims, you are a tyrant. Shame on all of us for sitting down and listening to him.

"State terrorism by British police."

The Home Secretary stood and watched as police officers ushered him out of the room, followed by hoards of cameras, photographers and reporters.

Continuing his diatribe, Izzadeen accused the Government of state terrorism and said Dr Reid, Tony Blair and George Bush, with their crusade, could "all go to hell".

After the furore died down, Dr Reid said: "This is not a new experience for me or for those involved in politics.

"There will always be people who will not be prepared to take part in a dialogue, but who will try to intimidate and shout down.

"They are not confined to the Muslim community."

But Dr Reid had only just re-started his speech when a second protester, radical Anjem Choudary, stood up to protest.

"Muslims do not need British values," he said. "We believe Islam is superior, we believe Islam will be implemented one day.

"It is very rich for you to come here and say we need to monitor our children when your Government is murdering people in Iraq and Afghanistan."

He, too, was ushered out of the small hall.

During his disrupted speech, Dr Reid stressed that the terrorists were waging a "violent and indiscriminate war" and warned that communities needed to be more aware of signs of terrorist activity.

He urged Muslim parents to look out for the "tell-tale signs" of radicalisation in their children.

"There is no nice way of saying this. These fanatics are looking to groom and brainwash children, including your children, for one thing.

"Grooming them to kill themselves in order to murder others. Look for the tell-tale signs now and talk to them before their hatred grows and you risk losing them forever.

"In protecting our families we are protecting our community.

"That is why I am asking you to be part of that fight for our common values, for this is the real conflict."

Dr Reid said most of al Qaida's victims were actually Muslim and his reason for speaking out was because this message was not getting across.

Dr Reid's appearance in east London - aside from the earlier outbursts - was met with mixed reactions.

Shaukat Khan, aged 55, welcomed the Home Secretary's visit but said it was very narrow-minded to insinuate that it was just Muslim children who were being radicalised.

"What about the British parents? What about the Afro-Caribbean parents? We are as worried as other parents are but we need to be part of a wider society."

Kashif Rashid, 29, said: "It is very easy to say that it is the parents' fault but it is not the parents who dictate society."

Imran Waheed, spokesman for Islamist political organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said Dr Reid was making "the ridiculous demand that Muslim parents spy on their children".