A REPORT claiming that extremist literature was being distributed through a mosque in Leyton was based on forged evidence, according to the mosque's imam and the BBC.

Masjid al-Tawhid, in Leyton High Road, was named in The Hijacking of British Islam - published by the rightwing Policy Exchange think-tank in October.

Imam Dr Usama Hasan says the researchers bought the books from Tayba, an unaffiliated book shop next door, then faked a recipt to suggest the shop and the mosque were the same organisation.

He said: "We're furious about this and we're considering taking legal action against Policy Exchange unless they correct their errors.

"The shop is nothing to do with us. It is an independent commercial enterprise.

"We never promoted these books at all. We're involved in interpreting the Quran and understanding it in a modern British context.

"The only message this mosque promotes is tolerance and co-existence."

The books in question, including Justice Is In The Law of Islam And Not In The Acclaimed Democracy, advocate a strict, literal interpretation of Shari'a law and instruct Muslims not to associate with non-believers.

They also include misogynistic and anti-semitic views.

Among their authors is Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz - a Saudi cleric who helped found Masjid al-Tawhid in 1984 with a large cash donation.

However Dr Hasan says he rejects bin Baz's teaching on women and non-Muslims, saying he has little experience of life outside Saudi Arabia.

The Policy Exchange report made national headlines when it claimed that books promoting hate and intolerance were on sale in a quarter of the British mosques they visited.

However the BBC's Newsnight programme investigated the evidence "proving" where the books came from, and concluded that some recipts had been faked.

Among the alleged forgeries is a recipt from the "Tauheed Mosque and Islamic Centre" at 78, Leyton High Road - actually the address of the bookshop, not the mosque.

The BBC claim that the letterhead was designed to link the shop and the mosque. They also claim the recipt was printed off from a computer, unlike a normally-produced receipt book, and originated from the same source as several other "faked" recipts.

Policy Exchange, who say they are "committed to an evidence-based approach," stand by their report, and are considering legal action against the BBC.