Muslim: I was kidnapped at knifepoint in BNP hate campaign

A Muslim community leader was kidnapped from his home at knifepoint and ordered to stop holding prayer sessions following a BNP hate campaign.

Noor Ramjanally, from Loughton, Essex, was abducted by two men, bundled into a car boot and driven to Epping Forest.

Today he said he feared he was about to be murdered when one of the kidnappers said: "Let's do it here." Then they told him: "We don't want the Islamic group in Loughton."

Mr Ramjanally, 35, has received hate mail threatening his family since he started regular Friday prayer sessions in a community hall in March. Last month his home was firebombed.

The BNP, which has four councillors in the area, has been accused of whipping up racial tensions after it issued an inflammatory leaflet attacking Mr Ramjanally's Islamic community group for hiring the local Murray Hall.

Essex Police confirmed they are treating the kidnapping as a hate crime and are linking it to the two previous incidents and the group's use of the hall.

The BNP strongly denies any responsibility for the crimes.

Mr Ramjanally, a married father of one, was at home alone at 12.15pm on Monday when his doorbell rang.

He said: "When I opened the door, two white men just grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me outside. They put a knife upon my stomach and said to me, Do what you are told or you will get hurt'. I was scared.

"They forced me into the boot of a 4x4 and one of the men held me with a knife to my chest. They drove me to Epping Forest and one said, Do it here'. I thought that my life was over."

He added: "They walked with me deep into the forest and said: We don't want the Islamic group in Loughton. If you don't stop, we'll come back'. Then they disappeared.

"The men did not say anything about the BNP or who they were. But it is only the BNP who want my Islamic group out of Loughton. I believe the BNP campaign has inspired the violence."

On 2 July a petrol bomb damaged the front of Mr Ramjanally's house. The next day he received a typed letter that read: "We know which school your kid goes to and which car you drive."

He said his family is in fear of further attacks but vowed to continue his sessions, which attract 80 worshippers.

The BNP believes the meetings are a precursor to a mosque. Pat Richardson, BNP group leader in Epping Forest, denied the party was behind the attacks, saying: "Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure."

Police said they would work to ensure that all members of the community could practise their religion safely.