Sadly, the process of integration, which began back in the Seventies when thousands of families from the Indian sub-continent came to Luton to work at the Vauxhall car factory, seems to be failing.

It is against this tinderbox background that the anti-war agitators and Baroness Warsi’s assailants must be addressed. To understand the roots of their movement, one must go back a decade to the time when the radical Islamic preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed was making inflammatory speeches in Britain.

The self-styled sheikh was head of an organisation called Al-Muhajiroun, which endorsed suicide bombings and was virulently anti-Semitic.

In one of his most vile statements, the London-based preacher said the West would suffer many attacks like that of 9/11 if it did not change its policies in the Middle East.

Later, in 2001, Al-Muhajiroun was outlawed on university campuses by the National Union of Students. Its activities waned and the Government banned Omar Bakri from returning to Britain after he made a trip abroad.

As a result, many believed the group had disbanded, but the truth is his extremist movement is alive and well. Islamic activists still claim membership, and splinter groups have formed. Together, they continue to glorify terrorism and suicide bombers and spread hatred against any Muslim who does not support their views.

One of the groups is Islam4UK, run by a friend of Omar Bakri called Anjem Choudary, who has vowed that the flag of Islam will fly over Downing Street in 20 years’ time.

Detectives fear that home-grown extremists leading apparently normal lives pose the greatest threat to Britain’s security. And key players behind this ‘enemy within’ are Al-Muhajiroun and its splinter groups, busily sucking in alienated young men, then brainwashing the more impressionable into becoming promoters of violent jihad.

According to a leaked intelligence report earlier this year, Luton remains a ‘magnet’ for extremists and a focus of concern for anti-terror police. Other hotspots include Beeston in Leeds and parts of Birmingham and London.

In 2001, two British Muslim men from Luton were killed fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Six years later, one of the militants convicted of plotting to blow up the Bluewater shopping centre came from Luton. And the 7/7 London bombers congregated at the town’s station before heading to King’s Cross.

On Monday night, Sayful Islam (translated as Sword of Islam), head of the Luton branch of Al-Muhajiroun, denied his group had masterminded the attack on Baroness Warsi. However, he refused to condemn what had happened, adding: ‘I was there to confront her with my colleagues. As we were speaking to her, some people threw some eggs.

‘I would rather have a dialogue and intelligent debate than indulge in frivolous activities, but I won’t condemn these people. It shows the frustration of Muslim youths in Luton.

‘Baroness Warsi needs to be exposed. Her stance on terrorism, Afghanistan and Iraq shows she can’t represent Muslims.’

Sayful Islam, 29, whose real name is Ishtiaq Alamgir, is the son of a British Rail engineer who came to this country from Pakistan. Sayful became an Inland Revenue accountant and went on to marry and become a father. But a meeting with radical cleric Omar Bakri and the events of 9/11 turned him into a militant. He said: ‘When I watched those planes go into the Twin Towers, I felt elated.’

He was among the protesters hurling abuse at the Royal Anglians who marched in Luton, saying: ‘The soldiers have killed, maimed and raped thousands of innocent people.’

His vile opinions are shared by others. Yesterday, Abdulrahman Muslim, 28, a community youth worker, said: ‘In Luton, many Muslims are angry with Baroness Warsi for abandoning our traditions and culture.

‘There were probably about 30 people protesting against her. However, there would have been many more protesting if they had known she was going to be in the town.

‘She claims she supports Muslim people, but she’s a hypocrite. She doesn’t even look like a Muslim. If she comes back to Luton I hope she gets the same treatment.’

Opposed to such sentiments, the mainstream, moderate Muslims fear that Luton has become a hotbed for young Islamic extremists. Typical of the peaceful majority is 17-year-old Zehn Haseeb, who works at the Memsaab Boutique and helped Baroness Warsi after her attack.

He said: ‘A group of 15 or 20 protesters shouted at her saying that the Prophet wouldn’t allow her behaviour. She got into a debate with them, but they wouldn’t listen.

‘Everyone round here is against that group but no one likes to speak out against them. They’ve been banned from all the mosques in the area. Islam is a peaceful religion and they don’t preach peace.’

Baroness Warsi: According to reports the male protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan

He said the members of the group were often aggressive. ‘They have a stall in Bury Park and give out provocative leaflets. They try to force you to go to gatherings,’ he said. ‘They give Muslims a bad name.’

As for Baroness Warsi, she told the Mail she has received 200 emails and messages from the Islamic community since the incident, of which only two were critical of her.

‘The majority of British Muslims are appalled about what happened to me in Luton,’ she said yesterday. Then she added that the protesters who confronted her in Bury Park ‘were just a bunch of idiots’. Let’s hope she’s right.