Hawzah News Agency - (London - UK) - Britain’s anti-terror police were forced to withdraw a document that said believing Muslims were oppressed was a sign of extremism after uproar from rights groups, local media reported.

The Metro, a British daily, reported a 12-page document released by counter terrorism police in southeast England was intended to give examples of behavior to look out for that could be considered “extremist.”

The document was called “Safeguarding young people and adults from ideological extremism,” and listed several extremist groups. Chief amongst them was Al Muhajiroun group. The organization has already been banned for supporting terrorist Islamist groups, but controversy arose over what police considered to be their other extreme views.

The document read: “Al Muhajiroun promotes the view that Muslims are persecuted in the UK by the government and media. You may hear someone state this view or voice concern for ‘oppressed Muslims’ in other countries.”

It was this kind of wide-ranging accusation that lead several Muslim and rights groups to voice concern that freedom of speech could be undermined.

With protests in India over a controversial citizenship law perceived to discriminate against Muslims, and increasing global alarm over Chinese treatment of its Muslim Uighur minority, the fear was that Muslims could be shut out of debates, already widely reported by mainstream media, for fear of being seen as extremist.

The document did not just include outright extremist groups like Al Muhajiroun and neo-Nazis. It is also included Extinction Rebellion, an activist environmental group that engage in disruptive civil disobedience to raise awareness about climate change.

A police spokesperson said the document was designed “for a very specific audience” who understood the “complexities” of the environment they work in.