The majority of suicide bombers are reasonably well educated and financially comfortable but furious at Britain's foreign policy, Muslims in the West Midlands warned the Government yesterday.

Muslim politicians, activists and academics said terror attacks would only abate if Britain removed its troops in Iraq.

They told the Government that reducing deprivation in their communities would do little to stamp out extremism because those vulnerable were more likely to be from reasonably well-off families.

They were speaking at a special debate at the Bordesley Centre, Birmingham, on what life is like for British Muslims.

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Mohammad Imran, a 38-year-old from Coventry, said: ?There are some vulnerable youngsters and that includes many who have been to higher or further education and are financially stable.

?The challenge for all is to equip these people with an education and understanding about Islam necessary to protect themselves against extremists.?

The education officer for charity Islamic Relief, who converted to Islam 18 years ago, said the Government and the Muslim community needed to work closer together.

He said: ?When people interact they encourage familiarity, trust and partnership.?

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Perry Barr, said the majority of suicide bombers were not from poor backgrounds and had been educated to a fairly high level.

He said: ?There is poverty and social exclusion in all our communities. Reducing it is not the key issue in terms of conquering terrorism.

?After all, youngsters who are really disaffected and poor are more likely to turn to crime. We are talking about skilled youngsters here who turn to cults.

?They have a thirst for knowledge and have the means to seek that knowledge. They are taken off by these extreme groups and manipulated. The community needs a clear position about youngsters? understanding of Islam.?

Dr Azzam Tamini, from the Muslim Association of Britain, said suicide bombers would only be deterred if Britain removed its troops from Iraq.

He said: ?July 7, July 21, and God knows what will happen next.

?Our lives are in real danger and it would seem, so long as we are in Iraq and so long as we are contributing to injustices around the world, we will continue to be in real danger.

?Tony Blair has to come out of his state of denial and listen to what the experts have been saying, that our involvement in Iraq is stupid.

?People don?t just read a book and become a terrorist, either. This is all about politics. Ideology is only part of it.?

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, also blamed the terror attacks in London on Britain?s involvement in Iraq.

He said: ?The obstacle of denial by Tony Blair and his Government is extremely damaging. It wasn?t us who took this country to war, we didn?t train, finance and arm Mujahadeen in Afghanistan.

?Those who have done that and created the current political environment, need to take responsibility for it.?

The Islamic Human Rights Commission has recorded an unprecedented rise in the number of attacks on Muslims in Britain in the past fortnight, the debate heard.

Some 200 attacks have been filed since July 7 when four suicide bombers detonated devices on Tube trains and a bus in London. Mr Shadjareh said: ?The Government has condemned attacks on innocent people but it needs to be identified quite clearly that attacks on Muslims are cowardly and unacceptable.?