Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien has rejected suggestions that Islam is a threat to the West.

In a speech on Thursday the minister called on Muslim countries to open themselves up to democracy.

The minister, who has responsibility for the Middle East, described repression as "the greenhouse of extremism".

He also made strenuous efforts to say that Islam itself was not a threat to the west and suggested that that the battle against terrorism would need cooperation from all corners of the world, including Libya and Iran.

He said that "belief in the fundamentalist tenets of Islam is not a threat".

"Indeed, as I know from my Muslim friends, a proper reading of the Islamic fundamentals in the Koran and the other teachings presents a religion of peace and tolerance.

"But it is those who misread Islam with evil intent that are a threat to all of us".

He made clear that Britain must lead the world in engaging with Islamic states, explaining to them that they were allies against extremism rather than enemies.

But he also suggested that democracy could help give a voice to dissidents, allowing them to express their views through peaceful rather than violent means.

"If there is one remark a non-Muslim can safely make about the Muslim world, it is that many Muslim countries would benefit from greater openness and accountability" he said.

He then added that there was "plenty of evidence that militancy - Islamic or otherwise - grows more vigorously in autocracies".

The minister outlined a multilateral approach to fighting the terrorist threat of al Quad and other groups.

Drawing on the experience of his ground breaking trip to meet Colonel Qadhafi in Libya in August, O'Brien argued that former enemies would have to be brought on board.

"We may need to work with states that are also enemies of al Qaeda.

"Countries like Libya and Iran are offering co-operation," he said.