The London bombings were not acts of terrorism but "a demonstration", according to a senior academic.

Prof Ron Geaves has sparked controversy by claiming that the attacks on Tube trains and a bus that killed 52 innocent people in July were part of a long history of protests by British Muslims.

	Professor Ron Geaves

He also said that to refer to the attacks as terrorism risked "demonising" those involved.

His comments were made as he prepared to give a lecture at the University of Chester to dignitaries and members of the Muslim community in the North West.

As part of his research, Prof Geaves has looked at the history of demonstrations by British Muslims. His work charts the changing nature of Muslim communities from the demonstrations against the author Salman Rushdie to the anti-war protests after the invasion of Iraq.

"I have included, rather controversially, the events in London as primarily an extreme form of demonstration and assess what these events actually mean in terms of their significance in the Muslim community," Prof Geaves said last week.

"Terrorism is a political word which always seems to be used to demonise people."

Prof Geaves, whose lecture was entitled Twenty years of fieldwork: reflections on 'reflexivity' in the study of British Muslims, said: "The title refers to the personal transformation that has taken place over the last two decades in which I have moved from a position of academic neutrality to one of active engagement with the Muslim community."

Prof Geaves, who has written at least four books on religion and has been at the university's department of theology and religious studies for five years, claims to be pioneering what he calls Britain's first Muslim youth work degree programme.

Chester became a university only last year after previously having college status.

Last night Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, described Prof Geaves's claims as "absolutely barking". He said: "What happened on July 7, 2005, fits with every international definition of terrorism. If any of the men behind the attacks had survived the incident they would have quite rightly been tried under the anti-terror laws. I don't think it's helpful that we have a mealy-mouthed academic trying to justify deaths of innocent people. It is ludicrous."

Four suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 others on July 7, while more than 700 people were injured in the attacks. Two weeks later, on July 21, devices on four Underground trains in the capital failed to explode.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, also insisted that the attacks were acts of "criminality" and "terrorism".

He said Prof Geaves's comments were unhelpful because they could actually be seized upon by people seeking reasons to target Muslims.

"For me, the definition of terrorism is when an innocent human life is lost. These bombings were an act of criminality and terrorism because that loss occurred.

"No motive can justify an act of terrorism. I think this kind of speculation is unhelpful because it is taken seriously by some sections of the community who want to demonise Muslims."

Loyita Worley, 50, a legal librarian who was injured in the Aldgate Station blast on July 7, said: "I would totally disagree with his point of views. There are other ways of protesting. The circumstances in which these people died were particularly nasty."

In February, an ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph revealed that 40 per cent of British Muslims wanted Sharia law in parts of the country.

It also indicated that 20 per cent had sympathy with the "feelings and motives" of the suicide bombers, although 99 per cent thought it wrong to carry out the atrocity.

Last night Prof Geaves, 56, said: "What I was trying to say was that the word terrorism, like the word evil, does not take us very far.

"During the lecture I spoke about the changing nature of Muslim protest. I concentrated on the Salman Rushdie controversy and the demonstrations against the two Gulf wars."

He added that it was possible to draw parallels between the July 7 attacks and atrocities in Northern Ireland, which claimed the lives of 3,500 people.

"If you look at the Troubles there were various different types of protest going on at the same time.

"The terrorism which occurred during the Troubles could also be seen as an extreme form of protest or demonstration."