Labour's Jon Cruddas has warned senior colleagues not to push voters into the arms of extremists by focusing on "religious symbols" as he launched his deputy leadership campaign.
Mr Cruddas, a former Downing Street advisor, warned that Muslims were in danger of feeling "hunted down" by the recent debate over the veil.
The Dagenham MP, who has close trade union links, urged fellow politicians to focus instead on serious social and economic issues.
He launched his campaign at his local constituency football club, pledging to reconnect with Labour party members.
He plans to spend the next few months travelling the country to engage with the party's grass roots.
Mr Cruddas, 44, received a standing ovation from an audience of party and union activists at Dagenham Redbridge FC in East London.
He received a loud round of applause during his speech when he vowed to conduct his campaign outside the confines of Westminster and Whitehall.
He has said that if he wins the election he does not want to take on the job of Deputy Prime Minister but instead act as link between leadership and party.
His campaign team plan to use the internet and emails to communicate directly with party members and plan to travel to the US for campaign advice from Democrats. They will post film excerpts from his speech on internet video site YouTube.
Mr Cruddas stressed the importance of fighting the BNP, saying they planned to target East London voters. He said extremists needed to be tackled by dealing with a "sense of insecurity" over jobs and economic conditions rather than a shift to the right.
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