Perhaps it was naive to suppose that Foreign Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw would ever have acted on the views of so many of his constituents concerning the invasion of Iraq.

After all it seems the thinking of much of the British population as a whole has been ignored by the man they elected to be their Prime Minister never mind our local MP.

Mr Straw may hope the debacle of the last couple of months will be forgotten quickly, but will they forget?

It has also been quite widely publicised how ten Blackburn with Darwen councillors stood up to be counted in their opposition to the war days before the first bombs dropped on Baghdad. They weren't the only ones though.

Other non-Asian councillors locally also voiced their concerns.

We heard that they were "considering their positions." So far we have not heard of any resignations. Why would they? After all we are merely the people who elected them in the first place.

Whilst the conflict may be thousands of miles away the effect on community relations here will also be paramount.

Next month the far-right will attempt to gain more seats in the region and the war with Iraq will no doubt be used as ammunition for those trying to tear the community apart.

In a time of war there tends to be more of a sense of national pride because British troops are in the firing line.

Anti-war sentiments within this country still exist and those who speak out on the war are too often merely labelled as traitors .

The fact is peace campaigners are just as concerned for the safety of our troops in Iraq but the 'traitor' backlash is felt none more so than within our community.

The affect on community relations cannot be under-estimated because the media has and will continue to link this war with Islam.

The 'Muslim angle' will then be used again and again by those who feel that Muslims are a threat to the existence of this nation.

As the local elections take place in some parts of the region both communties must ensure that international affairs do not in any way affect people's judgements of other communities and other religions.