AN Islamic college connected to the arrest of a suspected terrorist opened its doors to Blackburn MP Jack Straw in bid to reassure the public.

Staff at the Jamiatulilmwalhuda UK (college of knowledge) in Moss Street, Blackburn, told the Foreign Secretary that they were concerned with developing hard-working, responsible and law-abiding citizens.

And Mr Straw has also moved to reassure the wider community following the visit, saying the college's message was "one of peace, brotherhood and respect".

The college gained national notoriety last November after former pupil Sajid Badat, 24, was arrested on suspicion of plotting to cause a life-threatening explosion.

Although Badat was living in Gloucester and had left the college several months earlier, anti-terror police searched his dormitory as well as his grandparents' home in Audley.

Badat is awaiting a court hearing to enter a plea.

Ibrahim Master, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, who arranged Mr Straw's visit, said: "The Islamic college came to the attention of the media because of what happened last November.

"In my eyes and the eyes of the Muslim community, it unfairly received negative publicity.

"It was extremely disappointing at the time but none the less we still wanted to go further and this provided the ideal opportunity to reassure the communities."

Mr Straw was shown a new building of the college, which is expected to be completed this year.

He was also taken around classrooms in the existing building as some of the 350-plus students studied the Qu'ran.

Some 200 of the college's pupils come from East Lancashire with the rest from as far a field as the United States and Hong Kong. Hundreds more are on the waiting list.

The students are aged from 11 to A-level age and study Islam in the morning and the national curriculum in the afternoon.

At the end of the tour, Mr Straw sat before an assembly and listened as 16-year-old pupil Hanif Yusuf explained how Islam promoted the respect of all people, no matter what religion.

College administrator Lukman Ahmed said "The majority of young Muslims are not fortunate enough to study at institutes like this, where the positive and firm message of Islam can be embraced. They are more likely to be corrupted by the illicit and harmful influences."

Mr Straw said: "People were concerned about it the arrest of Badat but also all the people in this college.

"This college is very important for the Muslim community in the town because students will be the priests and religious teachers of the future.

"Race relations are pretty harmonious in the town. I would like to see them closer but I think the signs are positive rather than negative."