Ministers have defended a letter which urged Muslim leaders to explain how Islam "can be part of British identity" after criticism from within the faith.
The Muslim Council of Britain said the letter appeared to suggest - "like the far right"- that Muslims and Islam were inherently apart from British society.
The letter was sent to 1,000 Muslim leaders after the attacks in Paris.
Lord Ahmad, who signed the letter with Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, said the response was "disappointing".
Adding he felt the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) had "missed the point", Communities minister Lord Ahmad told BBC Radio 5 live: "If you look at the letter, right from the outset both Eric and I have highlighted the important contributions Muslims are making."
"It explicitly states that British values are Muslim values. This letter is laying out that the government is engaging with all communities, saying we need to tackle extremism and to work together to make sure we eradicate this evil from our society."
'Proud of your country'In the letter sent to more than 1,000 Islamic leaders, Mr Pickles stressed he was "proud" of the way Muslims in Britain had responded to the Paris terror attacks but added that there was "more work to do".
He wrote: ""You, as faith leaders, are in a unique position in our society. You have a precious opportunity, and an important responsibility, in explaining and demonstrating how faith in Islam can be part of British identity.
"We believe together we have an opportunity to demonstrate the true nature of British Islam today. There is a need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means today: proud of your faith and proud of your country. We know that acts of extremism are not representative of Islam, but we need to show what is."
But MCB deputy secretary-general Harun Khan said: "We will be writing to Mr Eric Pickles to ask that he clarifies his request to Muslims to 'explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of British identity'.
"Is Mr Pickles seriously suggesting, as do members of the far right, that Muslims and Islam are inherently apart from British society?"
Former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks said he believed the letter was "well-intentioned" but he understood the frustrations of Muslim leaders at being held responsible for dealing with something out of their control.
"That letter suggested the Muslim community within Britain can contain its own radicals," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"The truth is that Islamism, like all modern global political movements, is actually a global phenomenon - transmitted by the internet, transmitted by social media..."
Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said while he took the letter in "good spirit", most people are being radicalised on the internet rather than in UK mosques.
"We've got to give parents and older people who may have concerns about radicalisation the confidence to go to the authorities and seek help," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
On Sunday Mr Pickles joined the Home Secretary Theresa May at a service in London, organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, to remember those killed in the French attacks this month.
Ms May said the UK had to redouble its efforts to "wipe out anti-Semitism".
She also said she never thought she would "see the day when members of the Jewish community" would be "fearful" of staying in the UK.
Police have said there is "heightened concern" about risks to Jewish people, following the atrocities in Paris.
A total of 17 people died in a series of attacks by gunmen over three days, including four men at a kosher supermarket on 9 January.
It began with a massacre at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by militant Islamists, during which eight magazine staff, a visitor to the magazine and a caretaker also died.
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