This all comes at a time when Lord Levy was re-arrested yesterday for perverting the course of justice in the cash for peerages scandal. Also this month has seen the broadcast of a Channel 4 Dispatches program called 'Undercover Mosque' which sensationalised extremist rhetoric from a minority Wahabist sect in Birmingham. It also comes at a time when the BBC has dropped a politically sensitive drama it was making about the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes by members of Scotland Yard's firearms squad.

"Over the past 5 years or so all we've seen is the sensationalisation of extremism by the press in this country" said a local businessman on Stratford Road who wished to remain anonymous. "We never get any coverage focusing on the majority of peaceful Muslims in this country. Let's face it, It simply doesn't sell papers or interest documentary makers"

The War on Terror's Public Relations Exercise

One journalist from a local Birmingham paper claimed she had been at the scene of the raid since 4 am this morning, which suggests the press were tipped off about the raids. According to a neighboring shop owner, Blade Communications was raided at 5:30 am this morning.

Amongst the frenzied media circus, self-nominated representatives of the Muslim community were being interviewed on local and national radio and television. Khaled Mahmood MP for Perry Bar and apologist for the so-called War on Terror was being interviewed outside the Maktabah bookshop on Stratford Road, Sparkhill Birmingham. He gave an apologetic response to the raids and unsurprisingly failed to question the official line being spoon-fed to the press. There was also an American film crew filming random people on Stratford Road. A group of Asian woman were heard asking them why they had American accents and refused to speak to them. When they were asked to identify themselves they refused but said they worked for CNN.

There is a heavy, intimidating police presence in the area and a feeling of confusion and anxiety is almost palpable on the streets of Sparkhill. Thousands of families have had their homes raided in the name of the Terrorism Act, and this has resulted in little or no convictions. West Midlands police stated they will be distributing 5000 leaflets in the area in the next 24 hours and claim to be allaying fears of racism by liaising with local community groups.

This isn't the first time this has happened in Sparkhill. The Maktabah bookshop on Stratford road was raided two years ago presumably for literature and media that contravenes the Terrorism Act. A local man passing the shop this afternoon who claimed to know many of the local men arrested this morning said that since the raid two years ago, all the shop's literature and media had been approved by a firm of Barristers in London. Another shop raided this morning, Blade Communications was also raided two years ago along with a Muslim Press Association who occupy the first floor and this appears to have resulted in no convictions either.

He also went on to add that the Channel 4 Dispatches program, 'Undercover Mosque' produced by Hard Cash Productions, filmed a mosque on Anderton Road in Birmingham where there was a stall from the raided Maktabah bookshop. The film makers were seen filming the stall at the mosque, but the documentary didn't include any footage or 'expose' of the bookshop's material at the Mosque.

"There's got to be some kind of link there" he added.

There is a protest planned this evening at 6 pm at Digbeth Police station to protest against the police terrorising the muslim community.