LONDON: British Muslim leaders called on Thursday for a council to be set up to oversee the country’s mosques and imams in a bid to combat the kind of extremism that led to the London bombings in July.

The council would try to ensure radical sermons are not given in Britain’s mosques and promote British-born imams who speak good English and have roots in their local communities.

“We recognize the good work that has been done by many imams and mosques, but ... we think there are challenges that this national body should be able to deal with,” said Lord Ahmed, a Muslim member of the House of Lords.

“One of the roles it will have is to attract young suitable candidates who will become home-grown imams, rather than asking for imams from outside.”

The attacks on London in July threw a spotlight on Britain’s 1,200 mosques, which serve a Muslim population of 1.6 million.—Reuters