AS AMERICA still reels from the shock of last Tuesday's terrorist attack, Muslims, Christians and Jews across the Fylde Coast have all expressed their horror at the events and sympathy for relatives of the dead.

The Lancashire Council of Mosques and Churches Together in Lancashire said in a statement yesterday: "We jointly express our great distress and shock at the loss of life and our sympathy and prayers for the bereaved.

"We are determined that events in America will not damage the relationship between our communities in Lancashire. In particular we believe these events should not serve as a catalyst for the denigration of Islam or the victimisation of Muslims. Violence against innocent people is neither advocated by Islam nor supported by British Muslims.

"Our belief in God leads us to seek justice. We believe the acts of terror should not be compounded by making further victims of innocent people. In our places of prayer at this time of such loss of human life we pray with and for those who mourn. For ourselves, we pray for God's compassionate love and mercy to help us realise and respect our common humanity."

Speaking for the St Annes Jewish congregation, Rabbi Irvin Broder said: "Everybody in the Jewish community was horrified at this mass destruction and disregard for human life. Here we are shortly going to have our new year and our hearts and prayers will go out in this year for those people who have been killed and their relatives.