LONDON — Britain’s communities minister, Ruth Kelly, told Muslims that the nation holds to a set of “non-negotiable values” including tolerance and freedom of speech, part of the government’s effort to fight extremist views.

“It is the very diversity of Britain which underpins our success,” Ms. Kelly said to a meeting of Islamic leaders in London yesterday. She said some elements of culture are “grounded in a set of non-negotiable values.”

The comments reflect concern within Prime Minister Blair’s government that not enough has been done to help integrate Britain’s 2 million Muslims into society. Those concerns were highlighted by suicide bombings by Muslims that killed 52 in London last year and reaction within the Muslim community to remarks by Pope Benedict XVI about the religion.

Some Muslim leaders said Mr. Kelly’s remarks risk stirring up tensions within their community and animosity against Muslims. In June, London police shot and wounded a man during an anti-terror raid in London after a tip about explosives in the home of two Muslims. The police never found any bomb and later apologized.

“It is not helpful,” deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Daud Abdel, said in an interview. “It is leading into a climate of rabid hatred of against Muslims in the media. Politicians in such a charged atmosphere have to diffuse the tensions, not create the impression that the Muslim community is a problem community.”

A Catholic with four children, Ms. Kelly spoke less than a week after Cabinet colleague Jack Straw said he would prefer Islamic women didn’t wear veils, since the garment causes separation between people and communities. Later yesterday, Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell praised Imperial College for banning face veils in class.

They also followed the pope’s remarks suggesting Islam was a violent religion, which sparked protests in Turkey, and bombings in London and Madrid linked to Muslims. Mr. Blair has urged ministers to fight intolerance and talk more about the values that residents of Western nations should adopt.

“In this current climate, anything that touches on the integration of Muslim communities raises complex issues and will provoke passionate debate,” Ms. Kelly said. “Trying to sweep disagreements under the carpet will ultimately be more dangerous than discussing them openly.”

Ms. Kelly said British residents must support respect for the law, freedom of speech, equality and tolerance of other people’s opinions. She said the government would shift financial support toward religious and community groups that are moderate and defend such values.

“Ruth Kelly’s comments were less provocative and more welcome,” author of “The London Bombings, an independent inquiry,” Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, said. “The values that she was talking about, rule or law, democracy, we can all accept them and don’t want to compromise on them.”

Since last year’s bombings in London, Mr. Blair’s government has demanded British Islamic leaders help keep a lid on preachers of hate and tip off police. Home Secretary John Reid told Islamic parents to be alert for extremist influences on their children.

“There’s no nice way of saying this,” Mr. Reid told an audience of Muslims in East London on September 20. “These fanatics are looking to groom and brainwash children, including your children, for suicide bombing, grooming them to kill themselves to murder others.”

Straw’s comments last week opened a broader debate about whether Muslims should adopt Western dress in Britain. France, home to about 4 million Muslims, passed a law in 2004 that banned Islamic headscarves from public schools.

“The important thing here is freedom of choice,” Mr. Straw said on October 6. “Britain hasn’t compromised on that so far as other have done.”