Government to launch pro-west ad campaign in Pakistan

LONDON - The Foreign Office is to fund a television advertising campaign in Pakistan to get across the message that Britain is not "anti-Islamic."

According to the Guardian, the £400,000 campaign, titled 'I am the west', will feature a number of prominent British Muslims including communities minister and run for three months.

It aims to influence 15- to 25-year-old males who are less than well-educated and worldly-wise, but potentially susceptible to Islamic extremism.

The campaign seeks to highlight Muslims in Britain who have integrated into British society while remaining true to their religious beliefs.

Other personalities to appear in the nine ads include Jahangir Malik the UK manager of , Worcestershire cricketer Moeen Ali and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Chaudry Abdul Rashid.

A group titled Deen International and led by Khursid Ahmed, chairman of the , suggested the idea of launching the campaign to the government.

Ahmed said the idea grew out of visits to the country to understand people's attitudes to the west.

He found levels of hostility were increasing and the current international situation was being misrepresented in the media.

Many analysts on the middle east believe combating religious extremism in Pakistan is essential to Britain’s security.

All of the July 7 bombers were radicalised in Pakistan and some were alleged to have gone to the country for terrorist training.

Other British Muslims are thought to have travelled to Pakistan to join the Taliban fighting British and American troops in neighbouring Afghanistan.

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