A MOSQUE leader today spoke of his "extreme disappointment" after war protesters forced a visit by Condoleezza Rice to be cancelled.

Ibrahim Master said the Al-Hidayah Mosque, in Shear Brow, Blackburn, wanted to show the that mosques produced "model citizens" to "promote Islam and Muslim people".

But 150 protesters threatened to stage a demonstration against America's actions in Iraq.

Mr Master, who is on the mosque's governing committee, said that after consulting with two senior Islamic scholars, they were left with no choice but the cancel the visit.

He added: "They said 100 or 150 people were going to come for prayers at 6am and stay in the building until 10am when she was due to visit.

"We would have been powerless to stop them because Islam prevents you from stopping anyone who wants to come into a mosque to worship.

"It would have compromised everything we were trying to do.

"We are extremely disappointed that we weren't allowed to promote Islam and mosques.

" Ever since September 11, mosques, madrassas and Muslim people have been demonised in the media.

"We wanted to show the rest of the non-Muslim world that they should have nothing to fear and that mosques did not make terrorists and bombs but produced model citizens who are tolerant of other people's faiths.

"The people who threatened to come weren't regular attendants of the mosque. We only normally get 50 people for prayers."