A human rights activist says a report that says Muslim women are the most economically disadvantaged says "attitudes need to change".

Heena Khaled, from Walthamstow, said she and other women knew discrimination existed but could never prove it.

But a report by the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs, says Muslim women are three times more likely to be unemployed job seekers than women generally.

The 30-year-old said: “We welcome the report. This has been going on for many years and we have been unable to put our finger on it.

“There was no legal way of proving that Muslim women were being discriminated against in job interviews.

“It is not just a problem in finding a job but within employment also.

“They see it as a problem when Muslim women do not shake men’s hands but when Orthodox Jewish women refuse, that is not a problem."

The report cited the Office for National Statistics figures for 2015 which said 58 per cent of Muslim women were economically inactive, which means they are unemployed and not seeking work.

This is in contrast to 27 per cent of all working-age women in the UK being economically inactive between March and May.

The report said Muslims suffer the greatest economic disadvantage of any group in UK society.

The unemployment rate for Muslims stands at 12.8 per cent compared to 5.4 per cent for the general population.

But Ms Khaled dismissed the claim that many traditional Muslim families do not want women to work outside of the home.

She said: “I think it is a bit of a myth. Muslim women, in terms of education, are more likely to graduate in comparison to Muslim men.

“But they are put off going for jobs. They don’t want to go through the process of being rejected.

“Some change their names to sound a bit more western and receive lots of job offers.

“I don’t think attitudes have changed towards Muslim women.

“We do not want to be given special treatment.”

The Women and Equalities Committee said ministers must introduce a plan to tackle the inequalities before the end of the year.