'At terrible moments like these it is customary for leaders, politicians and others to condemn the perpetrators and declare that the terrorists will not win,' the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street after the barbaric terrorist attack this week.

And rightly so. Leaders from all different political and religious stripes unite to offer their own denouncement of the attack and the perpetrators ideology.

But none was so strong as from the Muslim Council of Britain's (MCB's) general secretary, Harun Khan.

'This is horrific, this is criminal. May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next,' he said.

'I urge all those in the region and around the country to pool together to support those affected.'

In the past Muslim groups have been criticised for not condemning terror attacks either quickly enough or strongly enough.

Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the MCB, said that view was not credible.

'These people do not know how to use Google,' he said in an interview with Christian Today after the attacks, pointing to more than 30 statements on the MCB's website denouncing terror attacks.

'It is not based on facts,' he said. 'I do not give them much credence.'

So how did Versi think the wider non-Muslim UK population responded to the bombing, later claimed by ISIS?

He pointed to columns such as that by Katie Hopkins in the Daily Mail who called for a 'final solution' to Muslims in the UK.

'That has been quite badly attacked as almost anti-British,' he said.

'[In comparison] those who put up positive messages of what is actually happening about Muslim taxi drivers are being widely shared.'

He added: 'We are like everyone else and we are devastated by this barbaric incident.

'It is quite appalling that someone has taken the name of our faith to [do this].

'We hope and expect this person will receive justice both in this life and the next.'

Speaking of Harun's statement, he said: 'The wording we used was very clear. We are talking about justice. God is the best placed person to be just.

'We think it is important to be strong.'

Then there are those who jump on discussions of reciprocal attacks on Muslims, accusing them of playing the victim.

But this has already happened with Oldham mosque in Greater Manchester, targeted by an arson attack the day after the bombing.

Meanwhile Glasgow Central Mosque was vandalised with the words 'ISIS' sprayed on its walls inside a love heart.

Speaking of the reaction inside the MCB emergency response team, Versi said the priority was to gather information, then issue a message of condemnation, then see what support could be provided locally.

'It is possible to say we condemn the attack unequivocally but say we are also concerned about the backlash.

'I am not creating any equivalency between the two but we can be concerned about that.'

He added: 'We want this nation to be safe and secure. We live here. Our kids live here.

'We come from that perspective.'