Hundreds of British Muslims have taken out an advert in the national press to highlight their "united condemnation" of terrorism after the attacks in Paris.

The advert, which was issued by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and endorsed by more than 300 of the body's affiliates, reiterated that militant extremists do not represent the Islamic faith and urged the world's communities to stand together in this time of unease.

The advert was placed in today's Daily Telegraph, and has since been shared elsewhere.

Harun Khan, deputy secretary general of the MCB, said he has been delighted with the reaction to the advert, and admitted he did not think it would get such an enthusiastic reception.

"The reaction has been hugely positive," he said. "It has gone down really well. Others have picked up on the hard copy and have re-circulated it. It has been a really good message to us.

"A lot of the time people say that Muslims are not really saying enough or that they cannot hear or see what is being said so this advert gives us some good coverage."

The advert paid tribute to the security guard at the Stade de France, where France were playing Germany on Friday night, who reportedly discovered a terrorist attempting to enter the ground and turned him away from the stadium.

The advert reads: "With one voice, British Muslims condemn the Paris attacks unreservedly.

"The barbaric acts of Daesh (or Isis, as they are sometimes known) have no sanction in the religion of Islam, which forbids terrorism and the targeting of innocents.

"Muslims have held vigils and donated blood for the victims. It is not the terrorists who represent our faith but brave individuals like Stade de France security guard Zouheir, who risked his life to stop the attackers.

"The aim of attacks like those inflicted on Paris and other cities across the world is to turn communities against each other.

"As Muslims, Britons and Europeans, we must stand together to make sure they do not succeed."

Mr Khan said: "We gauged the strength of feeling in Britain, especially with the link to Friday's football match and France playing England in the UK on Tuesday night, by watching social media and seeing people's shock at what happened.

"We do mention other countries in our statement because people are conscious of the fact that there were other bombings - there was Beirut, there was Ankara. It was important to respect that and mention all the terrorism acts in our statement."

The advert was also a reaction to some examples of anti-Muslim behaviour which have surfaced since the attacks. On Monday, a 43-year-old woman was arrested by Thames Valley police after she said Muslims were no longer welcome in a beauty salon.

She was arrested on suspicion of displaying written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting with the intention of stirring up racial hatred, and for producing malicious communications.

Mr Khan said: "Another aspect is some of the hate crimes Muslims are facing in the UK as a reaction. The advert is a counter-measure to tell people that what these terrorists did in Paris does not reflect on what Muslims are like in the UK.

"We have some reports about people being threatened and this was also done to dispel any misconceptions about Muslims in general."

Dr Shuja Shafi, the secretary general of the MCB, said it was important to make sure the UK heard the MCB's condemnation of the attacks.

He said: "The advert aims to highlight how Muslims everywhere have consistently and without reservation spoken out against terror. It is important that our fellow Britons hear this message loudly and clearly."