Abdul Majid Katme, head of the Islamic Medical Association, told Muslims that almost all vaccines contain products derived from animal and human tissue, which make them "haram", or unlawful for Muslims to take, The Sunday Times said today.

Katme's appeal reflects a global movement by some hardline Islamic leaders who are telling followers to refuse vaccines from the West on similar grounds.

In Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India, Muslims have refused to be immunised against polio after being told that the vaccines contain products that the West has deliberately added to make the recipients infertile, the report said.

His warning has been criticised by the Department of Health and the British Medical Association, who said Katme risked increasing infections ranging from flu and measles to polio and diphtheria among Muslim communities.

Katme, a psychiatrist who has worked in the National Health Service for 15 years, wields influence as the head of one of only two national Islamic medical organisations as well as being a member of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Moderate Muslims are concerned at the potential negative impact. There is already evidence of lower than average vaccination rates in Muslim areas, reducing the prospect of the "herd community" needed to curb infectious diseases such as measles, mumphs and rubella, the report said.