Prince Charles has paid tribute to the contribution to UK life made by the Muslim culture.

He was speaking as he opened a new building at the Islamic Foundation at Markfield Institute of Higher Education in Leicestershire.

The prince said the need to study Islam was greater now than ever before.

Community leaders said it was an important time for the prince to give his support to the Muslim community.

The prince met Muslim children during his visit

Prince Charles said: "You might pause to remember the hundreds of Muslims who died in the service of the crown in two world wars.

"The Merchant Navy memorial on Tower Hill in London, for example, provides ample evidence of those brave Muslim men who gave their lives on board British ships."

It is a view which has been echoed in the streets of Highfields, in Leicester.

Halal butcher Dilshad Ahmed said: "Islam is supposed to be a religion of peace if it is taught the right way and followed the right way.

"But now you get the radical people thinking with extremist views and they ruined it for the lot."

Football stadium

The prince was also visiting other venues across Leicestershire, including the new Walkers Stadium, home of Leicester City Football Club, where he will meet volunteers from Cares Incorporated.

The Prince of Wales is the president of the scheme, which encourages working people to volunteer.

He is also travelling to Loddington to launch a training scheme at a farm specially adapted to incorporate the conservation of game and wildlife.

The prince, who is a champion of the environmental issues, is expected to meet organisers of the Allerton Project and will tour the site to see beetle banks, weed windows, wild bird cover and a wetland area.