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A British minister has made a speech claiming that Islamophobia has become socially acceptable in modern British society.
Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to serve in the British cabinet, said prejudice against Muslims had "passed the dinner table test".
"Unfortunately anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia and sloppy religious literacy has seeped so far into sections of our society that it is acceptable for certain comments to be made around the dinner table," she said in a speech to Leicester University.
Baroness Warsi is one of the most outspoken politicians in Britain, and one of David Cameron's first appointments as prime minister was to make her a minister, though without a portfolio.
She has also warned against the tendency to divide Muslims between moderates and extremists which she said fuelled misunderstanding and intolerance.
She said terrorist offences committed by a small number of Muslims should not be used to condemn them all.
"This is not actually about controlling the conversations that go on in people's homes," she said.
"This is about drawing a line as to the state of anti-religious hatred or bigotry in Britain today and then setting out a series of measures as to how we move that forward."
A recent study found there are 2.9 million Muslims in Britain, up from 1.6 million 10 years ago.
Douglas Murray, director for the Centre for Social Cohesion that promotes human rights, has also written widely on the topic of radicalisation and extremism in Britain.
But he strongly disagrees with Baroness Warsi's view that dividing Muslims between moderates and extremists can fuel misunderstanding and intolerance.
"What other name than extremist can be given to people who attempt to blow up the London Underground?" he said.
"What other name other than extremist can be given to those people arrested before Christmas in an apparent plots to blow up major landmarks in London in the name of Islam?
"Moderates and extremists is about the best definition we have for how to make sure people do not sweepingly criticise an entire faith."
Baroness Warsi also revealed she raised the issue of Islamophobia with the Pope when he visited Britain last year, urging him to create a better understanding between Europe and its Muslim citizens.
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