In a bid to break the monopoly of US brands, a soft drink, aimed at the Muslim community, has been launched in the United Kingdom.

A Derby-based company launched Qibla Cola to provide an alternative to Muslims and consumers who do not want to patronise US-based cola companies.

For every two-litre bottle of Qibla Cola sold, 10 per cent of the profits will go to Muslim charity organisation Islamic Aid.

The Qibla Cola Company, founded by Bradford-born Pakistani businesswoman Zahida Parveen in January, hopes to make a significant contribution to Muslim charities from product sales.

Its product carries the strap-line ‘Liberate your taste'.

"The major cola brands represent global capitalism. They support the state of Israel and abuse workers in the Third World," said company spokesman Abdul-Hamid Ebrahim.

"We are not advocating a boycott of similar products but offering an alternative for people with a conscience, who want to contribute to the Third World rather than support multinationals who are known to fund unjust causes."

Qibla Cola and Qibla Diet Cola will be sold in major cities across the United Kingdom, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bradford and Glasgow.

The company hopes to eventually launch its products in West Asia, Africa, South Asia, the Far East and the Muslim world.

In a statement, Parveen said: "Muslims are increasingly seeking out alternative products and we have already witnessed a huge demand within the UK and even overseas markets for a product of this nature."

A spokesman for the Coca-Cola company responded: "We have built a production facility in the Palestinian Authority Area. It employs over 200 Palestinians.

"We're the biggest investor there, creating jobs and supporting livelihoods.

"We strongly believe that our approach in supporting economic development there through our local business model is the more credible one.

"There are over 20,000 employees in our organisation in West Asia, the vast majority of whom are local people -- just as the 5,000 employed in the UK are British," he said.