The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has expressed its ”utter distaste” about recent revelations that the American government has secretly spied on Muslim homes and places of worship since September 2001 for signs of radiation. ”These disclosures are very disturbing. They represent a dangerous assault on civil liberties and reveal a crass disregard for universally upheld freedoms,” MCB Secretary-General Sir Iqbal Sacranie said Wednesday. US authorities were reported to have been secretly monitoring radiation levels at hundreds of private and predominantly Muslim sites, including mosques, across the country under the pretext that they might obtain nuclear weapons. According to US Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse, law enforcement personnel were conducting passive operations in publicly accessible areas to detect the presence of radiological materials in a manner that protects US constitutional rights. But the MCB said that following recent revelations concerning the CIA`s ”rendition” and the torture of ”terror suspects” in secret jails in Eastern Europe, this latest scandal further ”undermines US credibility and world standing.” ”While it is the right of governments to protect their citizens and national interests, they are equally obliged to respect the rule of international law and fundamental human rights,” the mainstream British Muslim organization said in a statement obtained by IRNA. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the disturbing revelation, coupled with recent reports of domestic surveillance without warrant, could ”lead to perception that we are no longer a nation ruled by law.” ”All Americans should be concerned about the apparent trend toward a two-tiered system of justice, with full rights for most citizens, and another diminished set of rights for Muslims,” it said in a statement. The MCB, which represents over 400 affiliated national, regional and local organizations, mosques, charities and schools, said that it was offering its ”fullest support” to the CAIR and sister institutions in the US in their efforts to protect Muslims rights.