Attacks on Scottish Muslims Rise
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Scotland, July 24: Racist attacks against Scottish Muslims have risen by almost one third in the wake of last month's terrorist attempt at Glasgow airport, reported on Monday, July 23. "I am concerned about the rise in the number of racist incidents," John Neilson, Strathclyde's assistant chief constable, said.
More than 10 racially-motivated assaults are reported per day since the failed terror plot, according to police statistics.
Nearly 142 racist attacks were also recorded in the first 12 days following the attacks.
Statistics showed that Muslims of South Asian backgrounds took the brunt of the assaults.
In one of the reported attacks, a vehicle was driven into a shop belonging to Asians and set on fire.
Two men drove a blazing car into the main gate of Glasgow airport terminal on June 30, triggering a fierce blaze at the building.
The attack came one day after two Mercedes cars packed with gas canisters and nails were discovered in London's entertainment district.
Four Muslim men, all of them are foreign medics including one in Australia, have been charged over the attacks.
Calls for Restraint
Scottish police vowed to fight any backlash against the Muslim minority.
"We will deal robustly with offenders who engage in racist behavior," said Neilson.
Osama Saeed of the Muslim Association of Britain said the sizable minority should not be punished for the work of a few.
"We are talking about a small minority behind this and the people of Scotland as a whole reacted with common sense after the attack," he said.
"But we still need to build bridges and ensure that those responsible for the attacks are punished." Scottish Muslims have vehemently condemned the failed attacks and urged full cooperation with police to arrest the perpetrators.
An opinion poll on July 12 showed that the majority of Britons and Scotts still retain a positive view of Islam as a religion of peace despite the damage done to its image by the recent terrorist plots in London and Glasgow.
A recent Populus survey showed that an overwhelming 93 percent of British Muslims think that suicide attacks on civilians in the UK cannot be justified and 86 percent rejected targeting military establishments.
It found a whooping 98 percent of those polled saying that they would feel shame if a family member decided to join Al-Qaeda.
--Agencies
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Attacks on Scottish Muslims Rise
