A TEAM from the Muslim Council of Britain headed for Baghdad last night to make a plea to Islamic militants to spare the life of British hostage Kenneth Bigley.

The organisation said Dr Daud Abdullah and Dr Musharraf Hussain were to travel to Iraq to talk to religious leaders and urge the community to put pressure on the 62-year-old's captors.

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said last night: "We appeal to the group that is holding Ken Bigley to release him without delay and without harm.

"He is an elderly man and he is due to become a grandfather soon.

"Be merciful. Our religion, Islam, does not allow us to harm the innocent. We urge you to please listen to this appeal and release this man back into the arms of his waiting family."

Their appeal has been backed by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who yesterday confirmed that the British embassy in the Iraqi capital has sent out 50,000 written pleas from Mr Bigley's family.

Last night, they remained at their Liverpool home awaiting news of his fate.

The leaflets were distributed in the west of Baghdad, where Mr Bigley was living when he was kidnapped with two colleagues on Thursday last week. Since then, Americans Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley have been beheaded and video footage of the executions released on the Internet.

There has been no communication from the kidnappers since Wednesday, when a desperate Mr Bigley was forced to appeal for help from Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Pleas for help and mercy from the engineer's family have been broadcast worldwide.

The leaflets reinforce their call for information on his whereabouts, saying: "This is a personal appeal from a family whose son is missing. A family man called Ken Bigley is being held somewhere in your community.

"We are Ken's family. Ken's mother, brothers, wife and child love him dearly. We are appealing for your help.

"We are waiting for him to come home. We appeal to those who have taken him to please return him safely to us."

Lil Bigley, Kenneth's 86-year-old mother, was taken to hospital on Thursday night following a tearful call to her son's captors, in which she said: "His family need him. I need him."

She was discharged yesterday morning, and well-wishers left flowers at the family home in Liverpool.