Today Tony Blair begged British Muslim leaders to help combat terrorism in their communities: Blair Appeals to Muslim Leaders on Terror. (Hat tip: NC.)

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed to Muslim leaders on Tuesday to combat the “twisted logic” of terrorism and offered to help them counter extremism with reason. …

Tony Blair met with two dozen representatives of the Muslim community to discuss anti-terror legislation the government plans to introduce by year’s end.

Initial responses are less than encouraging.

The leaders fear the laws target their community.

“It’s fair the government should ask itself whether policies such as those involving the Iraq war have contributed to this,” said Dr. Zaki Badawi, head of the Muslim College. “We need a partnership between government and Muslims to show people they are not being ignored and that their concerns will be heard.”

Meanwhile, the tiny minority of Islamic extremists who claimed responsibility for the London attacks is now threatening a “bloody war” war on Europe.

An al-Qaeda-linked group that claimed responsibility for the London bombings has threatened to launch “a bloody war” on the capitals of European countries that do not remove their troops from Iraq within a month.

“This is the last message we send to the European countries. We are giving you one month for your soldiers to leave the Land of the Two Rivers,” the group called Abu Hafs al Masri Brigades said in a statement.

“Then there will be no other messages, but actions, and the words will be engraved in the heart of Europe.”

The “two rivers” in the statement refer to Iraq’s Euphrates and Tigris rivers. …

“It is time for you to understand that the Mujahideen (holy warriors) will not leave their nation suffering under the stigma of humiliation and the killings by American fire which you allied with,” the statement said.

It vowed to launch “a bloody war, God willing”, against Denmark, Holland, Britain, Italy and other countries “whose soldiers are roving and having fun in Iraq.”

Abu Hafs al-Masri group is named for the alias of Mohammed Atef, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy who was killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan in November 2001. It was one of at least two groups to have claimed responsibility for the July 7 bombings on London’s underground and a bus that killed at least 56 people and injured 700.

“We assure to you that we are men who adore death as much as you love life,” the statement said. “Jihad (holy war) for God’s sake will go on until the end of days, to defeat the infidels, the dictators, and their followers everywhere.”