The Telegraph has a disturbing report on British Muslims studying at an Islamic college in Damascus, Syria—studying how to commit mass murder in the name of Allah: Muslim students in Syria support suicide raids.

Two men, who gave their names as Amir Aziz and Tahir Sharaf, told The Telegraph that they admired the action taken by Asif Mohammed Hanif, the Briton who blew himself up in a Tel Aviv bar almost two weeks ago, and his alleged accomplice, Omar Khan Sharif.

“What [Hanif] did was right,” said Aziz, in a thick Birmingham accent. “The Muslim people are under jihad - they have an obligation to carry out martyrdom operations against the state of Israel. The Jews have occupied our lands and killed our people.” Aziz, 25, and Sharaf, 23, both from Birmingham, spoke last week after I met them outside the Ommayad mosque in central Damascus. They said they were part of a group of 20 British students, from the Midlands and the South, studying together in the Syrian capital.

Aziz said he had been in Damascus since May last year and Sharaf since the start of the year. Although both Britons have thick beards and wear white skullcaps, they stood out from locals because of their well-pressed shirts, creased chinos and accents.

Although they claimed that they had not rejected their home country, they were angry about the British Government’s decision to invade Iraq. “I know people who went to Iraq to fight off the aggression,” said Sharaf. “I support them because Iraq is a Muslim country that is being violated by America and Britain.”

The two proved evasive when asked about their plans or whether they had visited the offices of militant groups such as Hamas. Sharaf admitted to having known Hanif, however. “He was a good boy,” he said. “He used a British passport. Smart. Done well.”

Obtaining details of their life in Damascus became progressively harder. First they claimed that they were studying at Damascus university, the official seat of learning that Hanif attended. Then they claimed that they were studying privately. Aziz said his tutor would not permit a stranger to visit his flat and Sharaf gave a false telephone number.

Eventually, I tracked both down to the Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro Foundation, an Islamic teaching college named after the Grand Mufti of Damascus. After assembling for Friday prayers, Aziz and Sharaf had clearly been told they had been wrong to speak to a journalist.

Aziz said he could no longer discuss his views and referred me to the leader of the British students, a man called Rafiq. Rafiq claimed to be an African and warned other students not to speak to outsiders.

The administrator of their course, Mohammed Sharif al-Sawaf, admitted that his British students were generally more radical that most foreign students but he defended their views. He said: “America and Britain are attempting to create a new world order by annihilating our God, but they will not be successful.”

He praised students who wanted to carry out attacks on Israel. “Do not call these people suicide bombers,” he proclaimed. “Suicide is a negative action, whereas martyrdom is a glorious fulfilment of the requirements of Allah.

Tell me again about the religion of peace, and how jihad is the inner struggle to conquer your fear of heights and lose weight.