Five British Muslim men accused the United Kingdom’s security services of “blatant blackmail” and threatening them with jail if they did not agree to work as informants, press reports said Thursday, sparking outrage and concern over Islamophobia.

[efoods]The community workers said they were given a choice of working for MI5, the U.K.’s counter-intelligence and security agency, or face detention and harassment at home and internationally, Britain’s Independent reported.

“Orwellian society”

The men, three of whom said they were detained at foreign airports on MI5 orders, made official complaints to the police, the body which oversees the work of the security service and their local MP Frank Dobson, the paper said.

“The only thing these young people have in common is that they studied Arabic abroad and are of Somali origin. They are not involved in any terrorist activity whatsoever, nor have they ever been and the security services are well aware of this,” said Sharhabeel Lone, the chairman of Kentish Town Community Organization, where the men work with disadvantaged youth.

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