Omar Bakri has his panties in a wad over Boxer's trunks

with the UK flag on them.

Boxer Amir Khan's Union Jack shorts show disloyalty to Islam, says radical Muslim preacher

Radical cleric Omar Bakri Mohammad has criticised Amir Khan for wearing shorts embellished with the British flag, it has been reported.

'Amir Khan is not a good example for Muslims. He wears shorts with the Union Jack. That is a sin,' he said.

'He should not be wearing the flag because sovereignty is for God. His only allegiance should be to the Prophet Mohammed.'

But Mohammad said: 'The ideal situation would be to have a Muslim team not registered to any state so he can represent the Islamic community', he told The Sun newspaper.

The hardline cleric left the UK in 2005 after saying that the British government and residents of London only had themselves to blame for the Tube bombings that year. He now lives in Lebanon.

His comments were branded 'bizarre' by the Muslim Council of Britain. Inayat Bunglawala, the assistant secretary general, said: 'These comments are typical of Omar Bakri.

'He doesn't live in this country and frankly his views are of no concern to British Muslims.'

He added: 'Amir Khan is a wonderful role model. He's a hugely successful boxer, proud of being Muslim and British. I can see why that could upset Omar Bakri.'

Mohammad's controversial comments came as Gordon Brown issued an impassioned defence of the Union, insisting it was not a 'contract of convenience' that could be renegotiated at the will of nationalists.

The Prime Minister said Britain was based on a 'covenant' binding together England, Wales and Scotland in a way that went beyond the material benefits to each nation.

'We must be resolute in defending the Union and argue against those who put it at risk,' he wrote in an article for the Daily Telegraph.

With the Scottish Nationalists in power in Holyrood and demands in Westminster for 'English votes for English laws', Mr Brown wants to emphasise the importance of an overall British identity.

'The fact is the Union is more like a covenant founded on shared values that have created bonds of belonging that make us all feel part of a wider Britain.'

He added: 'There is a modern case for the Union, and it must be heard: it is not about partnership at the expense of pride, or about pride that can be satisfied only by sacrificing partnership.

'Instead, it is to ensure that each region and nation of the United Kingdom flourishes within a covenant and in a partnership of equals for the benefit of all.'