Lawyers called in after Katherine Jenkins 'stars' in BNP anti-Muslim video

Lawyers for opera star Katherine Jenkins were investigating today how her photograph came to be used in an online video in support of the British National Party.

The footage featuring the Welsh mezzo-soprano's image has been posted on video-sharing website YouTube and calls on people to oppose plans to build Wales's largest mosque in Cardiff. As well as showing plans for the Madina Mosque, the four-minute video contrasts stereotypical images of Muslims with images of Wales. A photograph of a woman in traditional Islamic dress is contrasted with the picture of Jenkins wearing a Welsh rugby shirt, followed by the words "Stop the Islamification of our nation".

Jenkins's publicist said the singer had no idea her picture had been used for this purpose. He said: "Katherine was totally unaware of the video and the matter is being investigated by our lawyers. The image was stolen and used without her permission. I do not know when she found out about it but it must have been very recently."

The video is entitled BNP - Cardiff Madina Mosque Plans and was posted three weeks ago by a user under the name of EgbertSaxonKing.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby said it was not an official party video, but he supported it. He said: "It's not our video. There are so many videos out there now its hard to keep abreast with them all. It has probably come from one of our supporters and we support its sentiments. It's ironic, though, that somebody is getting flak for using a picture of a Welsh superstar and they are the bad guys, yet under our noses we are witnessing the Islamification of Wales. People should be focusing on the real issue of huge mosques springing up all over a Christian country."

The mosque's chairman, Cardiff councillor Asghar Ali, said he was upset about the plans being used to turn people against Muslims. He said: "It is pretty upsetting that people are using religion in this way. I think it's a disgrace, but there's nothing we can do about it."

A YouTube statement issued to the Western Mail newspaper said any content deemed to be illegal or inappropriate would be removed from the site within minutes.

The statement said: "Our content policies prohibit illegal or inappropriate content on YouTube and our community effectively polices the site for inappropriate material. The users can flag content that they feel is inappropriate and, once flagged, it is reviewed by our staff and removed from the system within minutes if it violates our community guidelines."

The Madina Mosque, in the Cathays area of Cardiff, is being rebuilt after it was destroyed in an arson attack in November 2006. Iranian Ali Ghahremani, 37, pleaded guilty to arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order at Newport Crown Court in January.

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