The Southall Muslim community is very disappointed with their local MP Virendra Sharma (Labour, Ealing Southall) for voting to extend the time terror suspects can be held without charge to 42 days.

They feel that he should have represented the views of his constituents who elected him and not obediently toe the party line, as this act will inflict a lot more harm than any perceived short term imaginary benefits.

Mr Sharma claims to have spoken at length to representatives from every community represented in Southall as well as other fellow MPs in a similar situation.

He feels that the mere “commitment to financially compensate those held beyond 28 days and not subsequently charged, will ensure all Britons ….will be protected from any unfair or discriminatory treatment.”

The compensation is only for extra days over 28 for those wrongly detained.

The past innocent victims of this act feel like the “victims of terrorism” and cannot easily get on with their destroyed lives. The “terrorist” tag is there for ever and there is no offer of support to rebuild their lives.

For some one to treat it as a solely Muslim issue is being ignorant of the true facts.

A very significant amount of respected opinion is saying that these measures are not needed and are an attack on our basic human rights which have been won over centuries.

According to the Guardian newspaper, “some of Britain's most senior police officers have broken ranks with their colleagues to denounce government plans for detaining terrorism suspects for 42 days without charge”.

One of their concerns was that “detectives will face pressure to find, even manufacture evidence, against those held for 42 days.”

It also stated that one chief constable “had moral reservations about the damaging effect of incarcerating people for up to six weeks without charge, who are then found to be innocent”.

Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that passing the anti-terror bill would help destroy the "very basis of free society that our ancestors fought so hard to create".

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has previously said: "The obsession with 42 days is undermining, not supporting, the battle against terrorism.

Sir Ken Macdonald, the director of public prosecutions, said that the change was unnecessary and the safeguards in the Bill weren't effective.

Sir John Major, the former Prime Minister accused those calling for an extension of "scare mongering".

According to a local resident, “there have been 52 deaths from terrorism in London in the last five years. Without belittling the intense suffering of those caught up in the 7/7 attack or their relatives, in the same period, how many countless thousands of people have been knocked down by a car, or eaten, drunk or smoked themselves to death?”.

“Do we really need to sacrifice our civil liberties?”

Some people may regard detaining innocent people for up to 42 days as unfortunate but acceptable if it can prevent innocent people getting killed.

About 5,000 people commit suicide in the UK every year. Who is in favour of locking up millions of people to save 5,000 lives every year?

This act could result in more terror attack, as pointed out by Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General.

The powers in the terrorism acts have already been used by local Council on trivial matters.