People who regard themselves as liberal are directing a torrent of abuse at Muslims that they would not dream of saying about other racial or religious groups, said MP George Galloway.
Addressing an anti-Islamophobia rally in Euston as his Respect party started its annual conference, Mr Galloway reiterated comments made by the party's national secretary John Rees that anti-Muslim racism was the last "respectable" form of racism in our society.
"I see it when I write a blog on The Guardian website," Mr Galloway said. "Hundreds, I mean hundreds, of people who define themselves as liberal pour into the blog a torrent of Islamophobic abuse, bigotry and prejudice in a way that they would never dream of doing about black people, or Jewish people, or any other racial or religious group in this country.
"This is a problem that we must address." Mr Galloway also rejected Commons Leader Jack Straw's argument that it was difficult to communicate with Muslim women who wear veils because you cannot see their face.
"If it were true David Blunkett wouldn't have been much of an MP these last 27 years - he's never seen anybody's face," he told the rally.
"If it was true, you couldn't do any work on the telephone, or on the email, or by fax.
"It can't possibly be true that Jack, after all this time, representing so many Muslims, being returned to Parliament by them in overwhelming numbers so many times, suddenly discovers the semiotics of visual communication.
"It cannot possibly be true so it must be something else."
Later Mr Galloway said that people should be allowed to wear what they wanted and whatever their religion prescribes.
"I think it is disturbingly, alarmingly, frighteningly getting out of control. That's why I said to you if we don't stop this, this is going to end in blood and tears," he said.
