THE killing of British aid worker Alan Henning has backfired for ISIS as it has ‘shifted Muslim opinion against the militant group’, according to a government expert.

East Lancashire Muslim leaders have also backed the claims, saying Isis are ‘monsters, not Muslims’, and ‘hated’ by local Muslim comm-unities.

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Home Office anti-radicalisation expert Sulaimaan Samuel said the murder of the Salford taxi driver – a humanitarian volunteer in Syria – led the vast majority of Muslims to turn against the group.

Mr Samuel told Sky News: “Alan’s death has saved lives now, and in the future, of people who may have been drawn into going out to fight for ISIS, and what the militant group has done has backfired.”

East Lancashire-based community cohesion expert Faz Patel agreed, adding: “Opinion has shifted.

I think the majority of Muslim people know they are not a Muslim organisation.

“Killing a charity worker was totally un-Islamic. It’s unacceptable, and I think every Muslim community will support me in saying these people are a bunch of monsters.

“He was an innocent person doing voluntary work in a Muslim country.”

Blackburn councillor Salim Mulla added: “We had already condemned what ISIS were doing before Alan Henning’s death.

“He was a wonderful chap who wanted to make a difference.

“The condemnation was already there, but his murder has made the Muslim community more determined now to hate what ISIS are doing.”