A NEWPORT mosque has moved to reassure people in the city’s wider communities after one of its regular worshipers was arrested in connection with the Parsons Green bombing.

Members of the Al-Noor mosque in Maindee have been coming to terms with the arrest of the 25-year-old man in a counter-terrorism raid in Jeffery Street last Tuesday.

Shafqut Khan has spoken to several non-Muslims who are “paranoid and scared” following after the man, who remains in police custody, and two others were arrested last week.

But the taxi driver and others are keen to allay the fears of the wider public and condemn any links to the attack that the man may have had.

He said: “I was born and bred here, so I know that people in Wales are welcoming and understanding of our communities. We want them to realise that they have nothing to worry about.

“The people of Newport need to understand that we keep tabs on our youth through programmes and teaching them that these bombings are not Islamic.”

“A lot of what these extremists learn, they do not learn them at a mosque but on the internet, and these people can be easily influenced."

Mr Khan said that the man arrested a few blocks away from the mosque is a “well-known” member of the mosque.

“We are all surprised as this is somebody who has always spoken out against terrorism,” he said.

“For him to be potentially be involved in something like this, it would shock the whole community.”

The Imam of the mosque, Muhammad Abid Chishti, also said that he was “very surprised” by the arrest as the community is “very well connected” to others in the city and the local authorities.

Monis Muflahi, another member of the mosque in Harrow Road, hopes that the strong and diverse community spirit in Maindee will mean there will “no wider repercussions” following the arrests.

He added: “You see Muslim communities in larger cities have issues with integration that polarise communities but I don’t think that applies to Newport.

“People may feel embarrassed to approach us in the street but it’s important to start and maintain that dialogue.”

In a statement the mosque’s general secretary, Abdul Mujahid, said that the community “totally and utterly” condemns the actions of anybody involved in the London “atrocity”.

He said that anybody who takes an action such as bombing or killing innocent people is a “coward and cannot be Muslim”.

He added: “These people do not represent our views, all of us are British and Britain is our home where we have chosen to live and bring up our families, we support and enhance diversity.

“All communities live together happily in Newport and we respect each other’s belief and faith. Nowhere in Muslim religion or any other religion is it stated to hurt innocent people.

“We work hard in our area of Gwent to make sure we are working closely with the authorities such as the police and social services to notify them of any individual who is acting suspiciously.”